Good afternoon.

We all know the importance of today’s match and what it means to everybody connected with Everton Football Club. There is a lot on the line – but the focus has to remain on us and what we do here at Goodison.

Through our spirited performances in recent weeks, we have earned the right to control our own destiny today. We know there will be noise elsewhere with what may be going on at other clubs but our only concern is keeping to our game plan and giving absolutely everything to beat Bournemouth.

From the proud moment I became manager of this fantastic football club, my staff and I have been grateful for the backing we have received from you. We already knew a lot about Everton but we’ve continued to learn even more about this club and the depth of our fanbase.

The noise and numbers of supporters we have got both home and away has been amazing and I know you’ll create an intense, passionate atmosphere once again this afternoon. I can assure you, it has such a positive impact on our players and can be a definite factor in helping us get what we want from the match.

As I’ve said many times, it’s up to us to generate that atmosphere from the first whistle: to show hunger, passion and pride to wear the shirt and to put everything out there on the pitch.

To their credit, the players have done that consistently since I took charge. The commitment to the cause has been evident and, despite the challenges we have faced, we have affected the situation together to ensure we head into today two points clear of the bottom three with all to play for. 

However, the final push is the most important.

Our fighting spirit was clear to see at Wolves last weekend. The players dealt with numerous challenges, including losing players to injuries once again, but we adapted, rolled up our sleeves and showed a never-say-die attitude that was rewarded with a 99th-minute equaliser.

We’ve been building a firm mentality that has been growing each week which reaffirms the will and demand of our group, with the understanding we must earn the right to achieve our target. It’s vital that remains today because a strong mentality is what helps you win games through both performance and motivation.

We welcome Gary O’Neil and the players and staff of AFC Bournemouth.

Gary has done so well in his first season in management to help secure his club’s Premier League status and, with new additions brought in during January, Bournemouth have a good squad that have produced some impressive results in recent months.

As I mentioned, though, today is all about us and what we control. What we want to achieve is in our hands.

On my first day as Everton manager, I spoke about everyone at the Club aligning, pulling together in the same direction and having that connection with our supporters.

That connection is so important today. We all know about the power of Goodison. It’s real and it is powerful, tangible and deeply affective.

And we need to experience it again this afternoon.

Let’s do this together.

Sean