It’s not a sticky start for Sam’s reign

Sam Allardyce guided new club Everton to a 2-0 home win SAM Allardyce hopes it is “onwards and upwards” in his dream job after winning his first game in charge of Everton 2-0 against Huddersfield.

Allardyce, 63, signed an 18-month deal on Thursday and marked his return to the dug-out after a six-month break with victory thanks to secondhalf goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

“Getting a win in your first game after a fantastic win on Wednesday night - back-to-back (league) wins for the first time this season. Let’s hope it’s onwards and upwards boys,” Allardyce said.

“It took me six games at Palace (to get my first win) and everybody was telling everybody else I’d come back too soon, wasn’t the man I used to be and all that c**p.

“If I take a job I’m totally, fully, 100 per cent committed and I don’t take the job in any other circumstances. If I feel I can’t give 100 per cent to the football club then I wouldn’t take the job.

“I turned many a job down before this one. I felt this one was right for me. It’s a dream job for me and I’ll give it 100 per cent.”

The former Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland and Crystal Palace boss is in his 11th job in a 26-year managerial career, but a dire first half at Goodison Park was not the start he had wanted.

“Our resilience out of possession is looking very good,” Allardyce added. “In possession, particularly in the first half, was a surprise.

“I thought we were going to be better than that after Wednesday night. It didn’t happen in the first half, but in the second we got what we wanted.”

Allardyce said two straight wins had “taken the pressure off the club” and a main priority now was to get his injured players, such as Ross Barkley, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines and Michael Keane all back in action.

Calvert-Lewin had a hand in both goals, his neat flick setting up Sigurdsson for the opener two minutes into the second half and then firing home via a deflection after running on to Wayne Rooney’s slide-rule pass in the 73rd minute.

Allardyce, who described his Goodison reception prior to kick-off as “fantastic”, added: “I’m so pleased Dominic got a goal after his work on the front line.”