Defender keen to put loan lessons into practice.

Mason Holgate says Everton’s Carabao Cup tie with Sheffield Wednesday represents a “big chance” for the Blues to kickstart their campaign.

Defender Holgate played in round two at Lincoln City where Marco Silva’s side were roared to their rollercoaster victory by a substantial travelling support.

The 22-year-old concedes he must grasp every opportunity to push his own starting claims and is hoping to be given the nod at Hillsborough on Tuesday.

Regardless, Holgate insists Everton negotiating safe passage to round four is his overarching priority – the match against Championship side Wednesday coming straight off the back of Sheffield United putting the brakes on Everton’s unbeaten Goodison Park run at the weekend.

“It is a massive game against Sheffield Wednesday, we need to switch it [our form] and return to winning ways,” Holgate told evertontv.

“It is a big chance in a cup we want to do well in.

“You could tell at Lincoln [how much the Club wants to progress in the competition] from the way the fans were – and from the team the gaffer picked.



“It was a really strong team, which was a sign of how well we want to do. It is important for everybody.

“It is always a great atmosphere when we play away, our tickets are sold out which shows everyone is behind us and wanting us to have success in the cups.”

Holgate’s outing in the 4-2 win at Lincoln last month was his 50th for the Club since joining from Barnsley in August 2015.

Capped six times by England at Under-21 level, he has featured once from the bench in the Premier League this season.

He played in manager Silva’s first five league games in charge last term but spent the second half of the campaign on loan in the Championship with West Bromwich Albion.

And Holgate reckons he came back a more rounded player from the Hawthorns – where he played 23 matches, including two frenetic play-off semi-final games against Aston Villa.

“You are playing every week and have to reach a level of consistency,” said Holgate.

“Instead of going up and down, when you play week in, week out, at a level like that, you realise it has to be one straight line.

“That is the main thing I learned and it is something I want to put into practice.



“Every opportunity I get, I need to be proving why I should be playing and showing what I can do.

“If you don’t believe in yourself, who is going to?

“Hopefully I can prove in training or the games I get, I am ready for that step.

“I am training with world-class players but I need to be trying to play games.”

The quality of those footballers surrounding Holgate is precisely why he remains optimistic over what Everton can achieve in the next eight months.

Silva’s side had not lost in seven at Goodison before being upset by Sheffield United at the weekend.

Everton have seven points from six Premier League games and, in an embryonic table, are four points behind Leicester City in third.

“I thought we were the better team on Saturday but they scored [close to half-time], then sat in and hit us on the counter for the second,” added Holgate.

“Games like that happen now and again.

“But we know how good we are as a squad and will turn it around.

“We started the season well, the team and squad have not changed from then.

“We know we are just as good as when we were winning games and believe we are good enough to do that again.”