Everton midfield maestro James Garner admits the responsibility is on the players to get them out of trouble.

Garner knows that off-field matters will have an impact on where they finish this season.

But he believes that the squad must do what they can to move clear of the drop zone, regardless of whether their ten-point deduction is upheld or reversed.

Speaking on the Total Sport show on Radio Merseyside, he said: "We can only control what we do and that's winning at the weekend. I'm not sure what's going on in terms of the points deduction.

“Without that, we'd be in the middle of the table. I feel like we've had a better season than what we had last season."

Defender Jarrad Branthwaite added: "The main thing is just winning the game.

“There are plenty of games to go in the season; we've still got to play the teams around us as well. Every game is important. We've just got to take it game by game and see where it takes us."