Good evening.

If we play with the energy, passion and togetherness that characterised our performance against Manchester City on Saturday, we can compete with any team.

The job of taking all those qualities forward begins against Boreham Wood – and the past few days have been devoted to preparing for this FA Cup tie.

To feel your appreciation straight after Saturday’s match, when the disappointment was raw, was huge for the players – and for me and the staff, too.

I know you want our team fighting and showing real courage; not only in terms of making tackles and putting bodies on the line, but in how we are with the ball, showing belief, passing forwards and being proactive and aggressive with our running and movement.

If we don’t meet those standards, you have every right to let us know. I won’t shy away from talking about it, either – I promised an open line of communication with you when I came and that will always be the case.

But I have nothing but respect and admiration for how the players responded against the reigning champions and league leaders on Saturday.

The big disappointment, of course, is that we have nothing material to show for an immense effort.

I was very clear over my stance on the penalty that wasn’t awarded. My opinion is on record and the whole episode left a bitter taste – and added to the hurt we felt at not getting the point we deserved.

The goal we conceded was the result of a mistake but there is no chance of me pointing fingers. I was proud of what every player did from the first whistle to the last.

Premier League matches are often decided by tiny margins and in that instance the fortune went against us. It was cruel but the goal itself is not something we’ll dwell on.

We had a very specific plan for the game and I was so pleased with how the players executed their jobs.

It is one thing knowing what you must do, to first live with Manchester City, then to give yourself a chance of beating them. It is another thing entirely to implement the ideas.

We understood and accepted they would have a lot of the ball – that is the pattern of virtually every game City play – and worked incredibly hard to keep them away from our goal.

When we were forced a bit deeper in the second half, the players retained their focus and concentration to restrict City’s opportunities.

In Jordan, we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he was outstanding when we needed him.

Perhaps the biggest positive, for me, was how we used the ball. When your possession is limited, it is no good being passive, you end up essentially giving the ball back and reverting to your defensive formation.

It is crucial to pass with speed and intent, to try to exploit any little gap in your opponents’ shape. And we did that brilliantly. The players were brave, they passed through pressure and backed themselves to hurt Manchester City.

There was crispness and quality in the passing and it underlined everything I have been saying about the talent that exists in this group.

The challenge now is to consistently repeat all the good things we did against Manchester City.

I’m not saying anything new, here, but performances have been up and down over a long period of time and eradicating those fluctuations is a priority.

The players have shown the levels they can attain and I firmly believe in their ability to deliver that standard week in, week out. That has to be the case tonight, too.

We welcome Luke Garrard and the staff and players of Boreham Wood.

Their results in this competition demand respect. To beat AFC Wimbledon, then go to Bournemouth and win, is the sign of an organised and efficient team.

Luke is an excellent young manager. He has taken his club from a situation where he had to win the final three games to stay in the National League six years ago, to a position where they regularly compete for promotion into the Football League.

They have won a lot of matches this season and, regardless of the division in which you’re playing, that generates momentum and belief.

We want to go deep in this fantastic competition and expect a big fight to reach the next stage.

Finally, like everybody inside Goodison, I was exceptionally moved by the show of support for Ukraine before kick-off at the weekend.

However frustrated and disappointed I felt about elements of our game, those emotions were put into perspective in the context of wider events.

We will continue to support Vitalii however we can at an unimaginably difficult time.

The way we demonstrated our unity with Ukraine, along with Manchester City, made me very proud and showed why Everton is The People’s Club.

Enjoy tonight’s game,
Frank