Six Questions we asked an Everton fan

Courtesy of Graham Burrell

Lincoln City will continue their recent history with Premier League side Everton as the two sides clash in the second round of the 2019/2020 Carabao Cup.

This will of course be the second fixture between the two sides this year as the pair met in another domestic competition. The Imps’ reward for beating Northampton and Carlisle was a trip to Goodison. The to-be League Two champions put in a valiant performance but unsurprisingly came away having been knocked out the competition.

We spoke to Everton fan and amateur boxer Jay Deak ahead of the game for insight on the opposite side.

1) Since the two clubs met back in January, how much have Everton changed both on and off the pitch?

When we met earlier in the year, we were only five months into Marco Silva’s reign at Goodison. Coming into that game, we weren’t on a great run but it was good kick-starter for our season. After that win, our season turned around to an extent. Unfortunately the transfer window didn’t help us keep a lot of key players, Kurt Zouma went back to Chelsea and Idrissa Gueye got his dream move to PSG in the summer. We’ve recruited well this summer having signed some exciting players that can help us in all competitions. In terms of off the pitch, there’s a lot of talk of a new stadium which has got us excited and there have been a few leaked designs that could be the home of a successful period for our club.

Courtesy Graham Burrell

2) Is the Carabao Cup viewed by Evertonians as a competition that you could win?

Unlike Lincoln at the moment, we are a bit starved of success in our part of Merseyside. This is the only trophy we haven’t won. Every year we look at this competition as something we could win but it has never really worked out for us. With the dominance of Manchester City and Chelsea has seen us fall short in recent years but we believe that this year be different.

3) What are the supporters views of Lincoln City following the recent history between the two clubs?

I know a lot of Blues fans were impressed by Lincoln when they visited Goodison earlier in the year. Me and my mates all thought that Lincoln gave an incredibly good account of themselves both on and off the pitch. They gave us a really good game considering the league difference between the clubs. I’ve never heard so much noise come from the away end before and the supporters were a real credit to Lincoln City. Obviously there is a connection with Clive that ties us together in a way. He’s a really great bloke and he’s made up that we’ve managed to draw each other in the cups in recent times.

Courtesy Graham Burrell

4) What sort of team can Lincoln fans expect? Who should we look out for?

We need to play our strongest side against Lincoln. They really showed us a good game down at Goodison and I think it showed that we can’t underestimate Lincoln. I’d like to see a few of the new lads starting including new acquisitions Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean. They are both exciting prospects that have signed in recent weeks. Coupled with that, I think Richarlison needs to start rather than coming on from the bench and Lucas Digne also needs to play as he’s one of our greatest assets going forward.

5) Are supporters happy with Marco Silva so far this campaign?

Obviously we’re only three games into the season so it’ll be hard to make any kind of comment. I think Wednesday night will be a huge indication in terms of fan support for Silva. He came in from Watford, a lot of our supporters were excited with the capture. An indifferent season has seen us all lining up waiting to see where he can take us after recruiting his own players and implementing his style on the club.

6) Score prediction?

I know the Imps better than most and I know how good the atmosphere is going to be at Sincil Bank on Wednesday night. It’s a unique stadium and we’re going to have to be on the top of our game to avoid an upset. Should Silva field his strongest side then I can see Everton walking away with a 2-1 win. But it certainly will be tight.