SOCCER:DAVID MOYES believes Everton can salvage their underwhelming season with qualification for the Europa League.

One week after being knocked out of the FA Cup by the Championship side Reading and languishing six points above the relegation zone, Everton will rise to eighth in the table should they beat Birmingham City in their rearranged fixture at Goodison Park tonight. Birmingham’s League Cup triumph has reduced the opportunity to secure a Europa League spot through the Premier League this season but, while conceding Everton’s prospects are slim, Moyes insists a sustained run of form is not beyond his squad.

“I said when I joined that I thought the club needed Europe. I needed it and the players needed it,” the Everton manager said. “We missed out last year, probably because of the injuries that we had to Phil Jagielka and Mikel Arteta. But we have not had those problems this time. We have not had that excuse.”

Phil Neville has joined Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini on Everton’s injury list with a hamstring strain and Moyes admits a concerted push for European qualification would ease one of the most trying spells of his nine-year reign at Goodison. “At the moment I’m just glad the team is in the top half of the league. This has been as bad as it has been for me because I don’t think I’ve ever had a season where I have never seen Everton in the top half of the league until March.”

Alex McLeish has revealed Barry Ferguson will have a pain-killing injection when he does return to the Birmingham side as he is suffering from a broken rib, picked up in the League Cup final victory over Arsenal.

Although Ferguson has no chance of featuring at Everton the midfielder is willing to play through the pain barrier to help Birmingham in their relegation battle.