Referee errors may cost Toffees

Alan Wiley may not have sunk to the depths of Mark Clattenburg or Graham Poll with his refereeing performance in the 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers, but the result may have a bearing on how the final months of the season shape up.

I watched open-mouthed as David Dunn, already on a yellow card, was given a bit of a telling off for the most obvious intentional hand ball you are ever likely to see, only for the midfielder to clear a Jagielka attempt off the line thirty seconds later.

Later in the game, yet another Andy Johnson penalty appeal was refused despite the fact that he was quite clearly kicked up in the air by Khizanishvili. It used to be that Johnson would protest the injustice towards the uninterested officials but now he now he shakes his head and carries on with the game, knowing it would take GBH for him to be awarded a penalty.

In the last five minutes Everton seemed to have found a winner when substitute James Vaughan appeared to play Johnson in who cleverly touched it past two defenders to then stroke it into an empty net. The linesman’s conclusion? Offside, despite the fact that there are three players ahead of Johnson when Vaughan touches it across. When Premier League linemen do not understand the rules of offside, there is little hope of improving the dire state of refereeing in English football.

Two draws and two clean sheets against two of our nearest competitors seems like good business over the last four days, but with the chasing pack closing in the games against Tottenham and Blackburn, which really should have been won, could come back to haunt Everton. Personally, I will be cheering on Ghana in their African Cup of Nations quarter final with Nigeria tomorrow – the return of Yakubu Aiyegbeni could not come sooner. Everton have gone three games without scoring but chances are being created. The predatory instinct of the Yak will hopefully mean Everton start to put some of the chances away as the Toffees battle to hold on to fourth place.