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Post by Avinalaff on Aug 4, 2014 2:53:38 GMT
Leon Osman says Goodison reception left him humbled on testimonial Everton's Leon Osman during his Testimonial match at Goodison Park, Liverpool.
Leon Osman says he was ‘humbled’ by the reception he received at his testimonial game.
The 33-year-old was honoured by the club at Goodison Park as Porto provided the opposition for a friendly to celebrate over a decade of his service.
Everton drew 1-1 with the Portuguese side and Osman - given a guard of honour before the match - was handed a standing ovation five minutes from time when he was substituted.
“It was amazing,” Osman said.
“It was truly humbling to get that reception from the Evertonians.
“I can’t put into words how I feel about the whole thing and about this club but it was an amazing moment and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
He added: “I wish I could have another one next week.”
In the dying moments of the game, Osman had the chance to mark his big day with a goal.
But as Aiden McGeady’s cross came into the area, the 33-year-old admits he got his header all wrong as it sailed over the bar.
“I got giddy about it,” he said with a laugh.
“I closed my eyes, jumped at the wrong time and I don’t know what happened.”
Porto, preparing for a Champions League play-off later this month, handed Everton a stern test at Goodison and dominated large spells of the game.
Osman says it provided the Blues with an ideal taster ahead of their return to European competition.
Everton's Leon Osman and Porto's Hector Herrera during Leon Osman's Testimonial match at Goodison Park, Liverpool.
“This was an opportunity to play against a top European side and to try ourselves against a good team,” he said.
“We got to show that we are good defensively and can keep teams out and we’re going to have to do that this season.
“There aren’t many teams in this country that you can play in pre-season that will keep the ball off us and have more possession than us like Porto did.
“It helped us work on our defensive side of the game. It was a really good test for us.”
Osman featured in every Premier League game last season but was often used as an impact sub.
The Academy product wants to start every match but says last term taught him a valuable lesson.
“I want to play every minute of every game and Roberto knows that,” he added.
“We’ve discussed it and had a bit of a laugh over it.
“But as you get more experienced you realise it’s a long season to ask players to be at their peak for the whole season.
“Last season was a real learning experience for me because I didn’t play 90 minutes in every game but when I look back, I figured in every game and played some important roles to win games for us. I learnt you don’t need to play 90 minutes to help the team win games.”
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