Godfrey: I will always give my best for the shirt

Everton defender Ben Godfrey has pledged to “always give my best for this club and the shirt” and says he is willing to play anywhere in order to help the team.

Godfrey has been one of the Toffees’ standout performers since making his £25m move from Norwich in October.

What makes his early performances so impressive is the fact he has often been played out of position.

A centre-half by trade, the 22-year-old made his debut as a right-back against Liverpool, going up against Sadio Mane.

He has also played in a back three and, most recently, at left-back, where he filled in for the injured Lucas Digne against Chelsea on Saturday.

Godfrey was voted man-of-the-match by the supporters, which given the high level of performance of the team across the board, is very impressive and a reflection of just how highly regarded he is by the fans despite only being a Blue for a matter of weeks.

The former York player admits playing as full-back is a different experience, but it is a challenge he relishes.

He told the official site:

“You’re put in wide defensive situations and you’re exposed to different things. You’re also involved in attacks a lot more.

“I’m happy to learn and do my job for the team. I’m enjoying my time here and I’m happy to play anywhere for the boys and this club.

“I’ll give 110 per cent wherever I am on that pitch.

“That’s something I can guarantee – I’ll always give my best for this club and the shirt.”

Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images

Saturday’s game was also the first time supporters have been allowed into Goodison Park since early March following a relaxation of the UK government coronavirus restrictions.

Though there were only 2,000 allowed in, they certainly made their presence felt, as they cheered and roared the team on to a vital win.

For Godfrey, it was the first time he had played in front of the Toffees fans as an Everton player and he certainly appreciated their backing.

“It’s a long time since we’ve had the opportunity to play in front of fans.

“For me, to play for Everton in front of our fans, it was an unbelievable feeling and they were definitely like the 12th man.

“Fans might not realise but it gives you extra 10 per cent. All the support they gave us was massively appreciated and definitely helped us get over the line.”

Photo by Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images

Saturday’s win was just Everton’s second victory in eight matches, reviving a campaign that had began to flag alarmingly.

The hope is that the confidence gained will generate enough momentum to see them through the rest of a breathless December that features matches against Leicester, Arsenal, Manchester United, Sheffield United and Manchester City before the end of the year.

“We can take massive confidence from this win over Chelsea.

“It was a hard game but you’ve got to enjoy working hard if you’re going to win games.

“We stay grounded, we look forward to the next game and we go again.

“December’s a busy period so there’s lots of games to look forward to.

“We’d gone through a little bit of a sticky patch.

“It was important we stuck together. We’ve got good characters in the dressing room, so that was never in doubt.

“We showed we could grind things out [against Chelsea] and we got a great result. We deserved the three points.”