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It takes all kinds of players to make a successful team. Solid stoppers, flair midfielders, free-scoring forwards. For Everton this season, read Distin, Barkley and Lukaku.

There are also those who wear the unfashionable ‘unsung hero’ tag - players who can often polarise fans’ opinion but who are always there to be counted on, playing a supporting role to the team’s headline acts.

Leon Osman, rotated in and out of the side all season, fits that bill for the Blues.

He has been written off plenty of times in his decade-long Goodison career, but he has endured through the seasons and finds himself playing a part in Everton's push for Champions League qualification.

At St James’ Park on Tuesday, the 32-year-old underlined why he is still a valued member of Roberto Martinez’s squad.

On a night which will forever be remembered for Ross Barkley’s virtuoso solo goal, Osman’s quietly efficient display almost passed under the radar. Almost.

He captained the side and smashed home the Blues’ third and final goal of the evening, sealing an emphatic 3-0 success which cut the gap to fourth-placed Arsenal to six points.

He is even becoming something of a talisman.

It was the 13th time Osman had captained the Blues and his record with the armband is almost perfect. He has skippered his side to 11 wins. Just two defeats to blot his copybook (against Arsenal in March 2012, and Sunderland in April 2013).

It was the ninth time this season that Osman had completed 90 minutes for the Blues - and he has not been on the losing side in any of those matches.

At Newcastle, Osman led the passing stats for the visitors. He made 54 and was accurate with 90.7% of them, a figure bettered only by Gareth Barry (91.7% from 48 passes). He snapped into the Magpies, making six tackles (more than any midfielder or forward in a blue shirt).

His goal - only his third this season - was a welcome bonus.

“Leon was a true captain,” said Martinez. “He has leadership, an understanding of the game, knowhow and a real star quality.”

Osman made more starts for Everton last season (36) than in any of his previous campaigns, but since Martinez succeeded David Moyes a policy of rotation has been introduced for the Blues’ attacking midfielders. This has meant Osman has started just 22 times (coming off the bench on eight occasions) and has played 1,773 minutes so far this season (with eight games to go) compared to 3,183 in 2012-13.

Those 32-year-old legs have benefited from the rest and Martinez’s tactics have ensured that even the younger players who vie for a position with Osman - Kevin Mirallas (2,042 mins), Barkley (1,836), Steven Pienaar (1,619), Gerard Deulofeu (592), Aiden McGeady (268) - have been kept fresh.

Mirallas, the busiest of the bunch, spent Tuesday resting up on the subs’ bench.

Osman seems to have become more of a ‘squad player’ this season rather than a regular but it has not stopped him making telling contributions, his game-changing cameos at Aston Villa in October and Stoke City in December being examples of his ability to influence matches at this level.

After a below-par display against Cardiff City recently, questions were asked of Ossie again. But, typically, he bounced back and was at the heart of one of Everton’s finest away-day displays this season at St James’ Park.

Along with Tony Hibbert, he is one of only two current players who were on Everton’s books the last time they finished fourth and reached the qualifying stages of the Champions League.

And as the final few years of his career come into focus, he richly deserves another chance to play in European football’s premier competition.

Selected key contributions between now and the end of the season - like Tuesday's - could help the Blues get there.

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