Everton striker Jermaine Beckford enjoying life at Goodison Park

Jermaine Beckford of Everton (Getty Images)

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Jermaine Beckford has enjoyed a somewhat meteoric rise in the last five years, going from non-league Wealdstone to the Leeds United first team – via a loan deal at Scunthorpe – and finally onto the Premier League with David Moyes‘ Everton last summer.

And the jet-heeled striker, who arrived at Goodison Park on a free transfer from Elland Road last season, says that life with the Toffees has more than lived up to his expectations, after a debut season where he emerged as Moyes first choice striker, and reached double figures for the club.

“It has really worked out,” Beckford told EvertonTV.

“The facilities, the support, everything about the place – it is a really big club.

“As a player you want to play in every single game and as a striker you want to score in every single game, but if you want to play for a club as big as this then you have to be patient and work hard.”

However, Beckford endured a somewhat frustrating start to his Everton career, having to wait until mid-November to open his account for the club, despite injuries to others having pushed him straight into the starting XI on the opening weekend of the campaign.

“It was a surprise (to be straight in the team),” he added. “To go to a new club and go straight into the starting XI is really exciting but it can also be a little difficult as you don’t know your teammates and they don’t know you. You need to spend time on the pitch to get to know each other, so it is an exciting time but also a slightly difficult time from a footballing point of view.

“But in general pre-season was brilliant. All of the boys made me feel really comfortable and really confident. The management were great too and they made my life as easy as possible as I settled in.

“The start to the season did not really make things more difficult for me. Points-wise we could have probably done better but with the group we have got, the talent and how tight everyone is then I think we always thought we would be ok.

“On a personal level, once I got that first goal against Bolton I was ready to go and get more.”

The forward has since shown his goalscoring instinct on numerous occasions, with goals at Stamford Bridge and Anfield highlighting his goal-poaching ability, before his superb solo goal against Chelsea on the final day of the season ensured he ended his campaign on a high.