Jagielka banishes doubters

PHIL JAGIELKA played everywhere for Sheffield United.

He even famously went in goal once and steered his team to victory against Arsenal following an injury to regular goalkeeper Paddy Kenny. Yet having exchanged Bramall Lane for Goodison Park last summer in a €6million transfer, the 25-year-old found it almost impossible to secure a position of any kind in David Moyes’s first-team at Everton as his big move appeared to be going sour before he even had the opportunity to show just what Moyes had bought for his substantial outlay.

So his match-winning interventions against Reading in scoring the breakthrough goal and then preventing an almost certain equaliser at the other end represented the high watermark in Jagielka’s brief Everton career.

The three points that the defender did more than most to secure cemented Everton’s position in fourth place ahead of Liverpool and closest rivals Aston Villa and also marked his confirmation as a player capable of being trusted by Moyes.

“I had to say things to Phil early on when he arrived here,” Moyes said. “It is not always easy to join a club and our club was, with respect, a step up for him. I think he might just have thought to himself: ‘Is this a step too far?’

“He probably had doubts early on, but he has come through some difficult times and rightly should now be applauded.

“But I have said to him many times that his training was below the level we wanted and he has taken a while to grab hold of the challenge and step up. He was outstanding in this game, though. Not only with his goal, but his saving tackle.”

Having finally been given the chance to perform in his favoured position at centre-half, Jagielka has blossomed in recent weeks when he has impressively filled the void left by Joseph Yobo’s participation in the Africa Cup of Nations.

With Yobo having returned from Africa this week, Moyes resisted the temptation to dispense with Jagielka and his faith was rewarded with another flawless performance.

Alongside Yobo, Jagielka rendered Reading’s front two of Dave Kitson and Kevin Doyle impotent, but for large parts of the game, few of his team-mates were performing at the same level.

Lee Carsley was fortunate not to be sent off for a wild studs-up challenge on Stephen Hunt that left the Irish winger apoplectic with rage, while Andy Johnson toiled away without support as a lone striker.

But Reading barely threatened the home side and Jagielka’s 61st minute header from Leon Osman’s cross nudged Everton ahead in a tight game.

Moyes’s team were always the stronger side, but it required Jagielka’s defensive qualities to save the day for them in the closing stages when his perfectly-timed challenge on substitute Jimmy Kebe stole the ball just as the midfielder was primed to shoot past goalkeeper Tim Howard from close range.

“The challenge at the end was satisfying.” Jagielka admitted. “When they came through two against one, I had to make a decision who to go with. Then you just pray that he doesn’t pass it to the other one! But Kebe had a touch and it was pretty obvious that he was going to shoot, so I just tried to get a block in. Thankfully it hit me. If I could get a block and score a goal every week, that would be nice.”

Reading’s defeat was their seventh in succession and it left Steve Coppell’s team in the bottom three with fears growing over their ability to survive in the top flight. Unless Doyle can quickly rediscover his goalscoring form of last season, Reading will struggle to escape, but Coppell remains optimistic.

He said: “If you ask me whether I am confident that we will still be in the Premier League next season, I will say yes.’’

EVERTON (4-4-1-1): Howard 6, Neville 7, Yobo 7, Jagielka 9, Lescott 6, Osman 7, Fernandes 6 (Vaughan 46, 6), Carsley 6, Arteta 8, Cahill 5, Johnson 6.

Subs Not Used: Wessels, Hibbert, Van der Meyde, Nuno Valente.

READING (4-4-2): Hahnemann 8, Murty 7, Cisse 6, Sonko 7, Shorey 5, Oster 5 (Kebe 81, 5), Harper 6, Matejovsky 6, Hunt 5, Doyle 5, Kitson 5 (Long 74, 6).

Subs Not Used: Federici, Rosenior, De la Cruz.

REFEREE: Mark Halsey (Lancashire) 5: Mr Lenient failed to issue a single yellow card when he could quite easily have shown two reds, to Lee Carsley and Graeme Murty for reckless tackles and reckless behaviour.

MATCH RATING: ** Hopeless first-half, not quite so hopeless second-half. The pitch didn’t help, but if Everton are going to claim fourth place, there will be plenty more games like this.