Cahill hails Everton´s fighting spirit

Everton midfielder Tim Cahill believes the team’s current fighting spirit is the best he has ever known as they prepare for Sunday’s scrap with Stoke City.

Tony Pulis’ men travel to Goodison Park to face an Everton side that battled back from a goal down on Thursday to beat Belarussian side BATE Borisov 2-1 in the Europa League.

If the win itself was not impressive enough, the manner of Everton’s performance certainly was as a patched up team managed to sneak the positive result from unpromising circumstances.

Everton made the trip to Minsk without nine senior players and then lost captain Joseph Yobo with a thigh strain in the build up, prompting right-back Tony Hibbert to be drafted into the middle with just seconds to go before kick-off.

However, the fact Everton not only hung on but actually won is testament to their mental fortitude and refusal to be cowed – attributes that will be extremely useful against a Stoke side that is renowned for its direct and physical approach.

“You can’t buy what we have got here,” Australia midfielder Cahill said. “We keep doing it year after year. We’ve had thin squads but we work together and come through adversity.

“We all play really hard for this club and it is brilliant to be a part of it. When injuries like the one to Yobo come up, we just deal with it.

“This is the best squad that I have ever played in and the most competitive, as everyone is battling for places.”

Cahill extended special praise to Hibbert who had a magnificent if unexpected match in the centre of defence but he believes his willingness to play anywhere for Everton capsulates what the club is about.

“Hibbert came in and he is someone that a lot of us look up to,” said Cahill. “He is under-rated but he is one of the most important players at the club.”

“It will be another tough game,” added Cahill regarding the Stoke encounter. “It will be very physical but we have found an aggressive, high-tempo competitiveness.”

Everton are likely to need every ounce of that competiveness against a Stoke team badly wounded by their meek efforts against Manchester United last week.

Many criticisms have been made of Stoke’s style of play but there is no doubting their commitment to the cause and their willingness to fight all the way for three points – until last week.

They offered virtually nothing against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men and midfielder Liam Lawrence is determined that last Saturday will be the last time anybody can accuse Stoke of not being up for the challenge.

He said: “It was a poor game against United and we let the fans down really. But we have worked all week to make it right and we’ll come out all guns blazing against Everton.

“We’re just desperate to get out there, really, and right the wrongs.”

Everton are hoping Yobo will be fit enough to return while Steven Pienaar and Jack Rodwell will also be assessed to see if they have recovered from respective knee and virus problems.

John Heitinga and Australia defender Lucas Neill shall both be eligible for selection and Louis Saha will also return from suspension.