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Moyes wary of Wearside trip

Sat 08 Mar, 10:45 AM


David Moyes insists there is not a hope of Everton completing another seven-goal haul against troubled Sunderland on Sunday.Back in November, Everton beat Roy Keane's men 7-1 at Goodison Park in the middle of a 13-game unbeaten run.

But the Everton boss claims things will be very different at the Stadium of Light, with Everton "having to play the crowd as well as the team".

Moyes, named Barclays Manager of the Month for February, knows Everton must bounce back instantly from their disappointing 2-0 defeat against Fiorentina in the UEFA Cup on Thursday.

With the second leg at Goodison on Wednesday, Moyes accepts that his side will have to produce a vastly-improved display to have any chance of staying in the competition.

But Moyes must first turn his attention to the battle for fourth place in the Premier League, starting at Sunderland.

He said: "Sunderland have struggled with their away form, but their home form has been good.

"We beat them 7-1 at our place earlier in the season, but I cannot see that happening again at the Stadium of Light.

"Their home supporters are great, they must be really enjoying their season back in the Premier League. That will have a lot to do with this game.

"We know that we will not just be playing Sunderland, we will be playing their crowd as well.

"They have good supporters who get right behind their team, so we are aware of what to expect.

"Our win over them is in the past, it won't have much effect on this game. It certainly has not crossed my mind one bit.

"It's not the sort of thing that football people think about, you just get on with the next one."

The defeat in Italy has taken some of the gloss from Moyes' managerial award, but he said: "I have won manager of the month, but really it should be players of the month. It is the players who have won it really.

"They have been on a great run in November, December, January as well as February. The award is really for them and I will tell them that."

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