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Radio City's Alan Irwin

Posts: 61

Alan Irwin is the Voice of Everton for Liverpool's Radio City 96.7. An experienced radio journalist, Alan commentates on all of the Blues' matches and is well placed to provide insightful blogs on the progress of the team.

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It has been an incredible week......one where I've experienced a complete range of emotions that once again makes you realise that it is after all only a game.
 
It began with the worst possible news, the sudden death of a real friend and work colleague. Phil Easton was a lot more than a wonderful local broadcaster, he was an absolute gentleman who had been an inspiration to me and many others in Radio City. He'll be very sadly missed.
 
I've not come to terms with it yet but Phil was one who most definitely would have echoed those famous words "the show must go on".
 
And so it did...........and how..........probably the best way to overcome major grief  is to immerse yourself in what you enjoy most. And there's nothing more enjoyable than an FA Cup derby victory, although getting to that stage is an emotional rollercoaster in itself!
 
On Monday, commentating on a Merseyside derby was the last matter on my mind. Come Wednesday night at 11 o clock I really did feel mentally drained, yet very relieved.  I've said before that following Everton ensures you'll experience your fair share of highs and lows and this week we're on one of those high extremities. What a night it turned out to be, two minutes away from a penalty shoot out that no Blue was looking forward to. Enter Dan Gosling. Immortalised now in Derby folklore. The noise inside Goodison following that goal will stay with me for a long time indeed.
 
So what next? Well amazingly I've heard Evertonians state that they don't care now whether we beat Aston Villa in round 5. Are they for real? Do you really hold victory over Liverpool as the pinnacle of your season? Surely not!!! Let me remind you it's 14 years since we lifted silverware. We must take the next step and progress further towards FA Cup glory, the players are capable and the real fans deserve it. Beating Villa though is a difficult proposition but entirely achievable. Having taken 10 years to despatch a Premier League team from the competition we now have the chance to knock out another top flight side in the space of 11 days. Our form is such that any team in Europe would currently find it difficult to breach our solid and dependable back line.
 
David Moyes said on Wednesday night it felt like we'd won the FA Cup already and he could understand why, however he's such a down to earth type he'll know exactly what's needed to bring the best out of the players come Saturday and a week on Sunday. He really looked like he'd got the FA Cup bug after that win and for the first time in years I really believe we'll get beyond the fifth round for the first time under our current boss.
 
However, should it not quite turn out the way I envisage I'll once again remind myself that It is only a game and I am one of the lucky ones still here to enjoy it.