Six weeks ago Everton fans were contemplating the unthinkable.
A dismal 2-0 loss at the hands of Stoke on a wet and windy night at the Britannia Stadium had seemingly landed the Blues right in the thick of a relegation battle they couldn’t have anticipated, with just ten games left to play.
However, fast-forward to mid-April and five league fixtures remaining, the Toffees are now free of relegation fears. Four wins and a draw in the last five have seen them break the magic 40-point barrier and even mount a late assault towards a top half finish.
It has been a morale-boosting turnaround for a team which on that horrible evening lay just three points above 17th-placed Aston Villa and six clear of QPR in 18th, the latter having a game in hand at the time.
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So what has been behind this reversal of fortune for a side that was woefully underachieving for such a long period of what has been a desperately disappointing league campaign?
Perhaps the most important factor is a newly discovered defensive resilience which has replaced the all too evident frailties previously on show.
In this respect Sylvain Distin and Antolin Alcaraz had flattered to deceive with their contributions for the earlier part of the season.
Additionally with the talented but inexperienced Luke Garbutt having to fill in for the injured Leighton Baines and his deputy Bryan Oviedo for several games, Everton have never really had a stable back four in 2014-15.
But with Baines now back on duty, and John Stones having successfully recovered from a serious injury that came before the New Year, the Blues currently have a backline that seems to know what they are doing, and are more or less in control of their own destiny as it were.
Stones in particular has had a huge influence in the recent Everton renaissance. The former Barnsley youngster is continually improving in the role of centre back, and his alert anticipation and front-foot style of defending is reminiscent of Vincent Kompany at the peak of his powers.
With maturity and composure beyond his years, the return to fitness and form of the young defender has aided what was previously a chaotic and porous defence and coincided with a marked improvement in the form of team captain Phil Jagielka.
Remaining with the back four theme, the resurgent form of both Seamus Coleman and Baines has seen Roberto Martinez’s side rediscover the relentless threat on the flanks that his side displayed on so many occasions in his glorious first season in charge.
The two defenders, who on their day are among the best full-backs in the country, had been strangely sub-standard for the best part of the season, but have now rediscovered their flair and are finally exhibiting the form we come to expect of them.
Baines has been sauntering into the final third far more frequently of late and has formed promising and productive partnerships with both Steven Pienaar and Kevin Mirallas in the last two fixtures against Swansea and Burnley respectively.
Coleman, meanwhile, capped a fine display by scoring a beauty at QPR from an advanced position and set up Aaron Lennon’s winner in the same fixture, a massive three points which effectively ended any lingering doubts about relegation.
The deadly duo are back to playing with the fearless streak they showed for the entirety of 2013-14, and coupled with solid defending it provides a potent thrust to the Everton armoury.
It is not solely a defensive rejuvenation that has led to an improvement in Everton’s play and points tally however.
The impact Aaron Lennon has had on the side since joining on loan from Tottenham in January cannot be understated, on more than one level. The pacy winger has offered the lot, scoring important goals against QPR and Swansea in the Blues’ recent unbeaten run is just for starters.
In addition, the loanee Spurs man has provided a mixture of tactical flexibility and work ethic that has been sorely missing from Everton’s season up to this point.
A direct threat down the flank or through the middle, it seems that Lennon can scare the life out of opposition defences from any area behind the striker, while his work rate has been infectious for the team and gratefully received by the fans.
Leighton Baines has admitted recently that the diminutive forwards’ willingness to track back and never stop chasing has almost embarrassed his teammates into doing the same thing for fear of looking lazy in comparison to the wide man.
This tireless nature, which has led to two penalties being awarded against Newcastle and Burnley in recent weeks has, as Baines observes, had a effect on the team as a whole, leading to a more resilient and hard to beat set-up now that Lennon is forcing his comrades to put in the hard yards.
While Aaron Lennon has been scoring and providing goals, another key to Everton’s recent resurgence has been the improved performances of the man whose job it is to prevent the ball hitting the back of the net.
Tim Howard might possibly be the first man to admit that this has been his worst season between the sticks for the Toffees.
It has been a case of many an error from the American stopper, who perhaps gained a flatteringly positive reputation this campaign based mostly on his showings for the USA in last year’s World Cup finals (particularly vs Belgium).
This season he currently has the worst saves-to-shots ratio in the Premier League and it has been noted that he scarcely moves from the confines of his six yard box, not a goalkeeping strategy for commanding ones area.
As a result, despite the stellar summer with his national team, the vast majority of the season he has had a hard time of it with the Blues.
Decisive mistakes have come around with alarming regularity, two basic errors at home to Leicester, a poor attempt to save Willian’s late effort at Chelsea, and a nightmare display when Crystal Palace came to Goodison Park in September conjuring up uncomfortable memories. And there have been more.
Some people, this observer included, felt that the previously maligned Joel Robles looked like the better option for the number one spot a couple of months ago, especially after the Spaniard’s terrific showing against West Ham in the FA Cup 3rd Round replay at Upton Park in January.
However, in recent weeks Howard has steadied the ship and is making saves that change games, while staying well clear of the sort of errors that have cost Everton points in months gone by.
Top drawer saves from Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse and Swansea’s Bafetimbi Gomis amidst the unbeaten run have won points for Roberto Martinez and his men, and if Howard can keep that sort of form going, the rumblings of discontent from the stands will become but a thing of the past.