I was still scarred by what happened to Everton eight months ago - now Sean Dyche has lifted that shadow

There is no better indication of the progress Everton have made in eight months than the stark contrast between Goodison Park on Thursday and when Newcastle United last visited.

Eddie Howe brought his Champions League-chasing side to L4 in April for a game that had so many similarities with this latest battle - that too was a Thursday game under the lights in which one side pulled together an emphatic, rousing win as the other collapsed on itself and was left so bereft of inspiration it conceded a late goal in which a striker skipped challenges to run the length of the opposition’s half.

Yet while the two nights have echoes of each other, they tell a story of polar opposites. When Alexander Isak glided through half-tackles to create Newcastle’s fourth, Everton had the hallmarks of a team that had already lost its fight for survival. When Beto’s fine solo run completed a glorious team move this week, he sparked the wild celebrations of a team that refuses to do anything but look up no matter how hard external forces try to drag it down.

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I’m not sure I will ever quite admit to thinking Everton were doomed last season, even in the most difficult of times I always thought there was a chance. But walking out of Goodison after that 4-1 hammering was the darkest moment of a torturous campaign. Everton were second from bottom, two points from safety and events both on and off the pitch created the impression that hope was gone - the only thing to cling onto was that this is Everton, surely Everton could not go down?

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