1. 56 THE IRISH DAILY STAR, Wednesday January 2 2013 www.starbets.ie
Premier League when
David Moyes threw him in
at the deep end when he
first arrived as a pacey
youngster from the League
of Ireland.
This season the former
Sligo Rovers man has
played a key role in
Everton’s best start in
years — with the Toffees
well in contention for a
place in Europe.
When the opportunity
came up to extend his stay
with the Blues he jumped at
it.
And he insists that last
season’s woes are over.
Clash
A niggling hamstring
strain picked up in train-
ing kept him out for the
busy Christmas period.
And he is hopeful of a
return in Everton’s FA Cup
clash at Cheltenham on
Monday night.
Coleman exclusively told
the Irish Daily Star: “To
get such a contract at a club
like Everton for five and a
half years is a great
achievement in a way.
“I was delighted to get it
all signed, as soon as I
knew they wanted to give
me a new deal I couldn’t
wait to sign it.
“Last year was one of
those years, in the last game
of pre-season last year I got
injured and right up until
the end of the season I
didn’t get a good run of
games because of injury
and lack of form.
“This year I felt good
when I came back for pre-
season and got a good run
of games at right-back
which is my better position,
where I have always played
and where I prefer.
“I’m very comfortable
there and I thought every
week I was getting better
and I am looking forward
to getting back from this
injury now.
“We are going well, we
never usually start the sea-
son well so the main aim
this year was to start well
and thankfully we have
done so.
“Hopefully we can keep it
going until then end of the
season, take it game by
game and try and stay
where we are, up in the top
six or so and even chal-
lenging the top four.”
Coleman points to one
man in particular when
explaining Everton’s fine
form — Marouane Fellaini.
The big Belgian has net-
ted eight times this season
and his sizzling displays
has seen him linked with a
big-money move to Rafa
Benitez’s Chelsea.
However, Coleman hopes
Moyes can keep him
and other stars like
Leighton Baines at
Everton.
With Moyes at the helm,
Coleman is now hungry for
silverware and hopes to be
part of a Toffees squad
which ends a drought
which began all the way
back in 1995.
Everton finished above
their rivals Liverpool last
season — and Coleman
added it’s not something
the players think about.
Manager
“The manager will be
wanting to keep Fellaini,”
he said.
“He’s a top player, you
can see it every week.
“Everton are now a club
doing very well and I’m
sure the manager will try
hard to keep all of our best
players and even get some
in.
“Every player’s ambition
is to win silverware at
some point in their career
and I’d really like to be
part of winning something
at Everton.
“It would be great to win
an FA Cup or something in
the future.
“It’s something we will be
looking to do.
“For the fans it’s more
local bragging rights when
we finished above
Liverpool.
“As a team we never go
out to say ‘let’s finish above
Liverpool this season’, we
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Seamie
making
up for
season
that got
away
A FEW months is a long time in football.
Just ask Everton defender Seamus Coleman — who
made the perfect start to 2013 in the form of a new five-
and-a-half year contract which will keep him at
Goodison Park until 2018.
Last season the Killybegs native endured a turbulent
campaign.
After gaining much adoration on the blue half of
Merseyside he suffered ankle ligament damage which
kept him sidelined for months — and he failed to
recapture his previous form when he did return to
action.
As a result he was left out of Giovanni Trapattoni’s
Euro 2012 squad, which made Coleman even more deter-
mined to get back to the level which saw him light up the
EXCLUSIVE Donegalman Coleman is relishing
NAME: Seamus
Coleman
AGE: 24 (Born
October 11 1988)
POSITION: Right-
back, winger
CLUBS: St
Catherine’s, Sligo
Rovers (Everton,
Blackpool (loan,
below)
INTERNATIONAL: 9
caps
EVERTON
APPEARANCES/
GOALS: 85 (includ-
ing 22 as sub)/6
IN THE NEWS FOR:
Signing a new five-
and-a-half-year
deal at Goodison
Park this week,
reportedly worth in
the region of €11m
in total
FACTFILE
YOUNG GUNS: Coleman (left) with
David Meyler (centre) and James
McCarthy at Ireland training
LOCAL PRIDE: Coleman and Fellaini in
action against Liverpool last season
PAT FENLON insists Hibs
will relish going into the
‘lion’s den’ of Tynecastle
for tomorrow’s derby with
bitter rivals Hearts.
Hibs earned their first
derby victory in 13 matches
with last month’s 1-0 suc-
cess in the Scottish Cup.
Buoyed by their cup win
over the Jambos and by
Saturday’s 1-0 victory over
Celtic, Fenlon insists this
term’s Hibs team will not
be dominated by their foes.
Challenge
And the ex-Bohemians
boss believes his squad will
revel in the challenge of
going to one of Scottish
football’s most intimidat-
ing venues.
Fenlon said: “We know
we can go and stand toe to
toe with anybody now.
“That’s what we’ve
changed about this club,
and that’s what will hap-
pen as well.
“We know it’s going into
the lion’s den, it’s a diffi-
cult venue.
“But we are looking for-
ward to it and we are rel-
ishing it.
“We want to go there and
put on a performance for
our supporters.”
Whilst Hibs had to pro-
duce an energy-sapping
display to defeat Celtic at
the weekend, Hearts were
able to relax after their
meeting with Ross County
fell victim to a
postponement.
However, with the winter
break to follow, Fenlon is
confident that his side will
be all set to go again
tomorrow night.
He added: “It’s recovery
and rest, that’s the impor-
tant thing.
“It’s another big game
but we’ve got a good break
after that and the players
should go into it looking
forward to it.”
Meanwhile, Fenlon has
heaped praise on Eoin
Doyle for his display in the
weekend win over Celtic.
Shining
The Dubliner was
deployed in a role wide on
the right of Hibs’ five-man
midfield — and Fenlon
reckons he set a shining
example to the club’s
youngsters.
He added: “Doyler has
played there before.
“He has played wide on
the right and on the left for
us and for his previous
club, so we knew he could
do that for us.
“Plus, keeping him in the
team was important from
my point of view because
we looked quite small and
Celtic are a massive team.
“His work-rate is fantas-
tic, he’s a credit to himself.
“For the younger players
watching, that’s what you
need to make it at a higher
level, an attitude like his.”
Fenlon primed
for foray into
the lion’s den
Lucas targets top
■LUCAS wants one day to be regarded as the best
player in the world, the young Brazil midfielder
said after linking up with his Paris St Germain team-
mates for the first time yesterday.
■Qatari-backed PSG paid a reported fee of €45m for
the exciting prospect in August, with an agreement
that the 20-year-old would arrive in January.
■The five-year deal was completed yesterday after
Lucas, who helped his former club Sao Paulo to
clinch the Copa Sudamericana last month, joined the
Ligue 1 leaders at their training camp in Qatar.
■“I’ll fight to fulfil this goal to become number one.
It’s the dream of all the Brazilian players,” he said.
I IAIN MacFARLANE
DERBY: Pat Fenlon