Everton’s Saturday turned out extremely well after beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 in the Premier League – and the good news rolled in further with one starlet scoring a goal away from the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton beat Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday, with goals from Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall following Nikola Milenkovic’s early own goal to take Everton into fifth in the Premier League.
It’s been a good week all round for the Toffees, who beat Bournemouth on Tuesday and have seen some of their stars rise to become fan favourites in a strong run of league form.
And that only improved on Saturday afternoon when loanee Harrison Armstrong netted for Preston North End to record his first goal of the season for the Lancashire side in the Championship.
Harrison Armstrong continues to bring good Everton news with Preston goal
With Wrexham 1-0 up at Deepdale, Armstrong was introduced with 20 minutes left by Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom, hoping to rescue a point against the high-flying Welsh outfit.
And just 10 minutes later, North End captain Alfie Whiteman delivered a swirling ball towards the back post, which was met by Armstrong.
Although his initial effort was blocked, the ball fell kindly for the Toffees loanee, and he promptly lashed the ball beyond Arthur Okonkwo to level the game.
And Preston fans reacted to his performance, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to convey their support for the youngster by stating that he is already too good for the Championship.
If you were David Moyes, what would you do with Harrison Armstrong in January? ⭐️
One fan kicked us off, publishing: “How good is Harrison Armstrong though? Surely he starts for Everton next year? He plays the game like a 90s midfielder”, whilst another posted: “Harrison Armstrong is 18 years of age btw. EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD!! He’s going to be a global superstar.”
A third fan wished that Everton wouldn’t recall the Scouse native, adding: “Harrison Armstrong staying with us past January we all know is the right thing to do game time and now his first north end goal!”, whilst another Lilywhites supporter said: “Harrison Armstrong by the way. Made the game look easy when he came on. Far too good for this league already”.
Everton fans then got in on the act. One stated that he could well be one of the Toffees’ best players despite being away, writing: “Harrison Armstrong scoring for Preston too. I still think he’s the 2nd best midfielder on our books I hope we can recall him in January”, and another posted: “And Harrison Armstrong scored! What a lovely day. I think everything might actually be okay after all. We’re all going to have a merry Christmas.”
Harrison Armstrong will surely be in the picture for Everton minutes next season
Armstrong was on the cusp of the Everton first-team in the summer, starting for the Toffees in the Carabao Cup against Mansfield and registering two assists.
However, with the arrival of German star Merlin Rohl, it was hoped that his development would continue elsewhere, and David Moyes’ former side were the ones to snap him up.
Armstrong has started eight games for Preston this season, with the Lilywhites winning four and drawing two from those games – marking what is almost automatic promotion form.
Paul Heckingbottom does NOT want to lose Harrison Armstrong! 😳
“It’s more his minutes, it’s more how he’s doing. Is he progressing? That’s Everton’s priority at the end of the season. Is he going to be in a better place?
“Their only other consideration is, ‘Do we need to bring him back and play him?’. Apart from that, it’s what’s going to put Harrison in the best place come the end of the season.”
Preston boss Paul Heckingbottom on Everton’s Harrison Armstrong concerns.
And, when the youngster is not in the starting XI, Preston have only registered two wins, four draws and a loss in seven games – which is about top half form.
It was Armstrong’s second-ever goal at a professional level, having scored for Derby County at Plymouth Argyle last season, and fans will be hoping that he can kick on in Lancashire after returning from injury.
It’s clear that he’s key to their chances of a place in the Premier League and although Everton can recall the youngster, Moyes will be keen for him to continue his development in the second tier.
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