James Garner wants more “surreal” moments after screamer against Brighton | OneFootball

James Garner wants more “surreal” moments like the one he experienced after scoring the screamer in Everton’s 2-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion in their first official game at Hill Dickinson Stadium last month.

On a historic day for Everton Football Club, the official curtain-raiser of their new waterfront stadium, Garner came face-to-face with a moment of raw joy that young kids chase while playing football.

“It was one of those,” he smiles while recollecting the moment after his thunderstrike smashed into the back of the net just in front of the impossibly steep South Stand at Bramley-Moore Dock.

“I said at the time and it’s true, I don’t think people talk about how good a feeling scoring a goal is at any level of football, but then you put the context into it – 50-odd thousand people, it wasn’t just a tap-in but a screamer… it’s literally the stuff you do when you’re on the playground or playing on the streets with your mates as a kid.

“You’d create a situation like that and scream your name out as you hit it like a commentator. To live out a moment like that was surreal, really. It’s special. I want more of those now.”

Nominated for the Premier League Goal of the Month, the moment keeps popping up endlessly on Garner’s Instagram feed. The insurance goal, scored after Iliman Ndiaye etched his name into Everton folklore once again, in the 2-0 victory, kick-started a winning run for David Moyes’ side.

They went into the September international break with three victories on the bounce following the opening-day defeat to Leeds United and are fifth in the league table.

The Blues have taken massive strides following the return of the Scotsman, and while it may seem convenient to forget that the team was just above the relegation zone at one point last season, Garner chooses to focus on the mentality shift that Moyes has brought in.

“He said to us on day one that he’s not come here to take over a team that’s fighting against relegation – he said it again on day one of pre-season,” reveals Garner.

“He sets high standards and we know where we want to be. We’ve got a few more faces in over the summer and with the quality we have in the squad now, we all agree with the manager – if you want to achieve big things, then you’ve got to set your standards and your goals high.

“I think you can see it in us. There is a mentality shift. We’re playing with more confidence, going into games thinking how we are going to take all three points, it’s not just surviving. We’ve done that in these first few games. Obviously, the first game [against Leeds] felt like a blip, I don’t think we played well, but we’ve responded and now the aim is to keep building momentum.

“We want to keep winning and keep that winning mentality – that was the message in the changing room amongst all of us after the Wolves game.”

Everton will return to action as they prepare to host Aston Villa at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.