Leighton Baines targeting Cup glory after comeback
Wednesday 2 December 2015 15:43, UK
Everton left-back Leighton Baines is targeting Capital One Cup glory after recovering from a seven-month injury nightmare.
The 30-year-old England international played a cameo role in the 2-0 quarter-final victory at Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening when he replaced Brendan Galloway for the last 17 minutes - his first competitive football since May.
Baines underwent two operations on his damaged ankle during a lengthy lay-off but is now desperate to play his part in a second half of the season which the Toffees will approach with eager anticipation.
"We're excited about where we are at the moment and we're looking forward," Baines told evertontv. "This run is something we're all excited about - you could see that in the way we played and the support we brought up.
We're not far off from where we want to be in the league
"There are no easy rides and we are prepared for that. We are made up to be in the [semi-final] draw. We're not far off from where we want to be in the league as well.
"We're a few good results away from getting back in the mix for the European positions and there's no better time to hit form than now over the Christmas period."
Everton booked their place in the last four with the minimum of fuss at the Riverside Stadium, making their Premier League class tell.
The brilliance of Spanish midfielder Gerard Deulofeu paved the way for victory as he opened the scoring with a superb solo effort before tying makeshift left-back Fernando Amorebieta in knots to deliver the cross from which Romelu Lukaku completed the win with just 28 minutes gone.
But while Martinez was pleased with that aspect of his side's performances, he was even more satisfied with how they managed the remaining 62 minutes three days after squandering 2-0 and 3-2 leads at Bournemouth.
However for Baines, it was a thrill simply to be back involved in senior football after his frustrating lay-off.
He added: "It was great to get back out on the pitch. It has been a long time for me - it's getting on for seven months now since I last played any competitive football - so it's nice to be involved and back out on the pitch."
