Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall insists the club will avoid repeating the mistakes of their end-of-season slump in the forthcoming campaign.
The Blues' 3-0 victory over Dewsbury-Hall's previous employers Chelsea on March 21 left them just three points off a Champions League qualification place. However, they failed to win any of their last seven matches and plummeted to finish 13th in the Premier League table for the second consecutive year, missing out on European qualification altogether.
Lessons learned from frustrating finish
Speaking to Roger Bennett at a Men in Blazers live event at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the 27-year-old said: “It was a very frustrating end to last season. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it over the past couple of months and there have been a lot of lessons learned.
“It made me and the team realise you can be so close, but you can also be so far. Nothing is given to you in this game or in this world.
“A lot of people might have looked at us and said: ‘You were only one or two wins away.’ But it’s hard to get those one or two wins because everyone (in the Premier League) is competitive.
“I think the main lesson learned is to never get complacent until the final whistle of the final game on the final day. It’s all to play for and it’s a great lesson because now we’ve got that in our locker going into this season and if put in the same position again, I don’t think we’d be making that same mistake.”
Confidence ahead of new season
Manager David Moyes broke his summer silence with a Sky Sports interview broadcast earlier on the same evening in which the Blues boss admitted he felt the club “need to do an awful lot more” in the transfer market, but while Dewsbury-Hall acknowledged Everton could do with a couple of more signings, he declared that he is feeling good about the new season which kicks off at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
He said: “Honestly, we’re super-excited, super-positive. The lads have come back very sharp.
“Look, you see pre-season at the start, you can’t really read too much into it, but I think we’re bubbling along nicely and coming to a point now where we’re going to be ready for the first game. It’s very competitive, there are a lot of brilliant signings and good players that I’ve seen, and that’s what you want in the squad.
“You want it to be competitive. You don’t want anyone to think 'that’s mine, no problem,' you want people looking over their shoulders and we’re getting that and we might have one or two more come in before the end.
“Then we’d be in a good place and I’m quietly confident.
“I think we’re in a good place. We’ve got a lot of the squad together and the manager is there.
“We’ve had a lot of time to prep. We’ve had a lot of time off, too much time, I’m champing at the bit, I just really want to play now.
“Pre-season is pre-season, it’s not the real thing. I just can’t wait.
“It will be an interesting Premier League this year because a lot of things have happened. It’s going to be competitive, but I am genuinely very confident for what we can do.”
Feeling at home at Everton
Dewsbury-Hall made just 13 Premier League appearances across his solitary season at Chelsea, failing to complete a 90-minute game in the competition. However, following his £25million move to Everton last August, he netted a career high eight Premier League goals in 31 outings and reiterated how he believes the Blues are a natural fit for him.
He said: “I’m a player that plays with my heart on my sleeve in every game. I give everything out there.
“Sometimes it gets me in trouble, I say what I think and you see the way I play. I think the fans can appreciate my honesty, my passion for the game.
“To be fair, since day one when I signed for this club it just felt right. There were times before I signed for Everton in the years before, there was a chance that I could have come, and it never materialised.
“So, it was always in the back of my mind that one day I might play for Everton. So, when it came up last summer, genuinely, it was the only place I wanted to go, and I’m so thankful that I made that decision.”
Message to the fans
Asked by lifelong Blue Bennett what his message to the Evertonians was for the forthcoming season, Dewsbury-Hall added: “I’d first say to continue their amazing support. I’ve been here a year now and it’s the best support I’ve heard from any club that I’ve been at and that’s genuine.
“Continue that, which I obviously know you will, but just stick with the lads. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows in football.
“We’re in the toughest league in the world, there are going to be dips, there are going to be troughs, but I’m 100% sure there are going to be a lot of highs. Ride with us, it’s a rollercoaster, but you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?”
