Sean Dyche named two goalkeepers on the Everton bench for the final games of the season out of “respect” for Andy Lonergan.
The 39-year-old has been the third choice goalkeeper across the past two campaigns and is yet to make a competitive appearance for the Blues. He is a popular figure at the club and has been deemed a valuable part of the goalkeeping unit that has helped maintain Jordan Pickford’s sensational form.
In the final weeks of the season, Lonergan was named alongside fellow goalkeeper Asmir Begovic on the bench in matchday squads - a feature of Dyche’s approach that became a topic of conversation among supporters.
Dyche views a matchday bench as an important experience, particularly for youth players. In Lonergan’s case, the Blues boss wanted to send the message that the goalkeeper’s work on the training ground was appreciated.
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Lonergan - who has been offered a new contract by the club - was named part of the matchday squad for the final three games of the Premier League season - Everton’s fixtures with Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth. He also featured as a substitute for the trip to Crystal Palace under Dyche. Those selections stirred interest among supporters, some of whom questioned the logic of choosing a second back-up goalkeeper instead of perhaps offering an opportunity to an academy prospect.
Dyche told the ECHO during the season that when his first team options were limited - as they were due to an extensive injury list across the final games - he still sought value from the experience he could offer through a place as a substitute. Typically he would turn to a youth player - with the likes of young centre back Reece Welch and midfielder Sean McAllister among those to taste life as part of the first team squad on a matchday last month. Showing respect for players such as Lonergan, who offer a valuable contribution to the squad, is also important to him.
Dyche said: “My rule of thumb is always fill the bench. Sometimes out of respect for people like Lonners, who does a great job for us, sometimes to get young players - even if they are not going to get on, just to give them the involvement. I’ve never really believed in leaving people off the bench and going ‘oh look we haven’t got any players’, it’s not for me that. Give people a chance.
"It is the Premier League, give a young person the chance to feel what it is to be in the Premier League, so if I can fill the bench I will. But sometimes it is out of respect. Lonners works very, very hard in our goalkeeping department so it is to get him involved, part of the feel, part of the group and to keep that mentality.”
While Dyche preferred to fill all nine slots on the bench he did only name eight for the final game of the season against Bournemouth - including Lonergan, McAllister and Welch. A long injury list had hampered his preparations for that fixture. While he has not played competitively for Everton, he was unfortunate to suffer an injury at the same time Pickford sustained a knock that ruled him out for a few weeks in September. Lonergan’s issue led to Everton signing Eldin Jakupovic on a temporary deal while Begovic, who is leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of this month, started the 1-0 win over West Ham.
His work on the training ground has been viewed as important since he joined in 2021. Speaking to the ECHO in Australia during Everton’s involvement in the Sydney Super Cup in November - during which Lonergan was handed his maiden senior appearance against Western Sydney Wanderers - club goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly explained what Lonergan brings to his unit.
Kelly said: “You look at the level of training and the standard that he [Lonergan] sets and you have somebody who produces a standard of performance which drives levels up. It is maintaining a high-level of performance consistently through the goalkeeping department. He sets standards in training and he is an absolute diamond of a lad as well, as are Harry Tyrer, Billy Crellin and Joao Virginia.
“They are good people who set good standards in training, they have good attitudes, good application. That all comes together… I think people like Billy [who stayed with the squad while Tyrer and Virginia went on loan this season] and Andy, they are part of that engine that gets overlooked, that gets unseen by people but which is a major part of how Jordan performs and how Asmir performs.”
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