After finishing the….., toffees take a little step in the right direction.

A first Premier League clean sheet of the season, three games unbeaten. Everton are taking small steps in the right direction as they look to rebuild from their horror start.

Saturday’s draw against Newcastle was not the most pretty watch, but the Toffees at least showed a bit of resilience and toughness after shipping 13 goals in their opening four matches.

The highlight of the game was Jordan Pickford’s penalty save from Anthony Gordon. The England winger departed Goodison on a cloud and has hardly endeared himself to the fans since, so it is understandable that they took great delight in his miss.

There was a fuss over nothing after a social media post by Everton on Sunday – why take things so seriously? I’m sure if Gordon had scored he would have cupped his ears to the Gwladys Street. That’s part of the game.

More importantly though it once again highlighted just how important Pickford is to the team’s fortunes. They would have been relegated without him over the last few seasons and after a patchy start to the season he once again showed his class.

Speaking of penalties, I’m not sure what Dominic Calvert-Lewin has to do to get one this season. It looked a spot kick clear as day when he tangled with Dan Burn as he attempted to bury the rebound after his shot was saved by Nick Pope. Apparently Calvert-Lewin ‘initiated contact’ by hitting Burn first as he attempted to shoot, but Burn leant into him to try and prevent the shot. To not even go to VAR is even more bizarre, but typical of Everton’s fortune in such situations.

Those two incidents aside there was not much to shout about. Dwight McNeil fluffed a volley when well placed at the far post and Abdoulaye Doucoure had a header rightly disallowed for offside. For Newcastle, Sandro Tonali saw a shot cleared off the line by Iliman Ndiaye and Gordon blazed over late on.

In the end a draw was probably the fair result. Everton can be pleased with their defensive display given they had a makeshift back four, with James Garner excellent at right back and the much maligned Michael Keane impressing in the middle. James Tarkowski has Pickford to thank for his clash with Tonali in the penalty area not resulting in a Newcastle goal.

Attacking-wise it was a disappointment, something that is all too common under Dyche. His pragmatic safety-first approach irks some. But with staying up absolutely critical before the move to Bramley-Moore I suspect most Evertonians will tolerate turgid football if it continues to be effective and keeps Everton away from danger, allowing for a fresh start on the banks of the Royal Blue Mersey next year.