James Garner: Everton have struggled to 'stay positive' this season

The Toffees ended their winless league run with a 3-1 victory over Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday thanks to goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure, James Tarkowski and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Garner registered his first assist of the season when he set up Calvert-Lewin to seal the three points and Everton will look to make it back-to-back away wins with a third-round victory at Villa Park on Wednesday night.

Before the weekend win pressure had been building on Everton and Garner says it has not been easy to play with a smile.

He said: "When you are losing games, it is hard to stay positive.

"The manager wants you to play with a smile on your face and all that, but it's hard to remain positive, happy and smiley when the results are not going your way.

"But it's time for us to change that now. We've definitely got the squad to be nowhere near that relegation zone, now we just need to start putting the points on the table and slowly climb up the table."

Before joining Everton last year, the 22-year-old had spent his career at clubs challenging at the top end of the table, having enjoyed loan spells from Manchester United fighting for promotion from the Championship with Watford and Nottingham Forest

Garner's first season at Goodison Park brought a relegation battle, but he is determined to help the club turn a corner.

He added: "Ever since I was six or seven when I've been playing football, always at a club and a team with United that's been winning, from youth team and me going into the first team.

"Even when I went on loan I was at teams that got promoted. At Watford, got promoted, went to Forest, got promoted. And then coming here, it was just not the same situation as teams I've been at before.

"I'm one of many here who can change the way the club is going and help change the results.

"We can't change what has happened in the past, but we can change the future and I see it like that.

"I'm one of many who can do that and we have definitely got the squad and now the mentality to do that, to change what has been a bad recent past."

Everton were beaten 4-0 at Villa Park in August, but Garner feels they are ready to give a better account of themselves this time around.

He said: "We know what we are capable and I think that showed on the weekend.

"We showed on the weekend that our three points backed up our performance and that's what we need to do every week."

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