Wolves clash crying out for Jack to take centre stage

ALL of a sudden, this game against Wolves feels like a big one.

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There was always a chance of this. After the win over Nottingham Forest this week looked like one that would have a big impact on how Everton's season would shape up.

The success at the City Ground was impressive and hard-won. It came despite David Moyes’ squad being so depleted and I think it gave us all a lot of hope heading into 2026.

The year starts with three home games in six days and I thought that, if Everton could find a way to win the two Premier League matches against Brentford and Wolves then the back-to-back wins would set up the potential for a real push for Europe.

Get those six points and it would put Everton in that mix and it would be a big argument for pushing the button on any transfer business the club is considering.

As we know, the year started in familiar fashion for Everton - it feels like years since we started a calendar year with a win and that defeat to Brentford was so disappointing on so many levels.

One of the consequences is that it intensified the significance of this match with Wolves. Had Everton won on Sunday then there would still have been pressure as we sought three points to keep building towards a European push.