James McCarthy urges fans to stick with Everton

James McCarthy wants Everton fans to keep faith with their team although he admits performances have not been good enough.

Roberto Martinez’s team won 13 matches at home last season, but this term Everton fans have only watched their team defeat West Ham, QPR and Aston Villa at Goodison Park in the Premier League.

The latest home disappointment came on Sunday as Everton needed an 88th-minute og from Matthew Upson to snatch a point against bottom side Leicester. Ironic cheers rang around the ground when the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of a largely dull first half and McCarthy understands why some supporters were unhappy.

“It’s frustrating as a player. As a fan it’s no good watching it either. Every one of us knows that we need to address this. We know it is not good enough.

“We go again on Thursday (in the Europa League) and the fans need to stick with us. I am sure we will bounce back.”

Everton are 12th in the Premier League, just six points above the relegation zone though and McCarthy wants to make sure they do not get dragged into a relegation scrap. “We don’t want to be floating around in the mid-bottom area of the table. We want to get as high as possible,” McCarthy said.