James Garner scored a stunning free-kick for Everton in a behind-closed-doors friendly game on Tuesday at Hill Dickinson Stadium
If an Everton first-team player scores a free-kick and nobody was there to see it, did it really happen? That was the question posed by one supporter online on Tuesday as reports came through that James Garner had rattled one in from distance in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Eventually, some amateur footage emerged online of the strike. Then the club put their own video out of it. It happened – and it was some goal, the winner in the 2-1 triumph over Port Vale.
The scepticism was understandable though. After all, Ashley Young’s free-kick against Wolverhampton Wanderers last season was the only one the Blues have scored in the Premier League since 2018.
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Naturally it’s an area which manager David Moyes will be keen to see his team get better at. And for Garner himself, it could potentially be a new string to his bow as he enters a critical point in his Everton career.
The feeling going into this season is that it’s a significnat one for the former Manchester United midfielder.
Garner is into his fourth season as an Everton player and he is now well established as a first-team player. Last term he did a fine job, coming back from injury at the perfect time to replace the stricken Orel Mangala in January; Garner started all but one match until the end of the season.
That durability is significant for a player who has had his issues with injuries. Garner has twice suffered with back problems during his time at Everton, leading him to miss eight games in 2022-23 and 15 in 2024-25 before he eventually came into the XI.
Maintaining that fitness will obviously be crucial. It could potentially be a foundation for further improvements too.
There is sometimes a sense of frustration around Garner. Clearly he’s a capable all-round footballer who can get around the pitch and do the technical basics required to be a Premier League midfielder. He never lets anyone down in that sense.
Yet there felt more to the package when he signed for the club from United three years ago. During his loan at Nottingham Forest, there were occasional dashes of brilliance that accompanied the all-round consistency.
In his full season at the City Ground, Garner scored four goals and notched eight assists in the league. Shots from distance and pinpoint set-pieces felt like a staple of his game. But at Everton, he has one goal and four assists in the Premier League in three years.
Adding those moments of stardust to his play feels like the next step in Garner’s evolution as an Everton player. Granted, at Forest he would be used a little bit further forward and with the Blues the technical qualities in his game have not always been accentuated by the brand of football, particularly under Sean Dyche.
Under Moyes, that might change. And with Idrissa Gueye signed up for another year at least as the team’s midfield anchor, if the Blues are to become more progressive then there will be more technical emphasis on his midfield partner.
While Everton are keen to add to their midfield options during this window, in the early days of Hill Dickinson Stadium at least that looks likely to be Garner. Thankfully, he looks right at home.