Everton midfielder Seamus Coleman's return from injury has given manager David Moyes another timely boost.
The Toffees are on a high after back-to-back home wins over Premier League leaders Manchester City and Chelsea.
And Coleman's goalscoring return for the reserves more than a month after being sidelined with a thigh problem provides more good news as the club look to maintain progress in both the league and FA Cup.
Teenager Ross Barkley, who made such an impact in the first two months of the season but has not featured since November 26 because of a knee problem, also stepped up his bid for full fitness with a run out and goal in the 6-3 win over Newcastle at the club's Finch Farm training complex.
The 18-year-old has made a couple of appearances for the Academy side in the last fortnight and was named on the bench for the first-team games against City and Chelsea but remained unused.
It leaves only Phil Jagielka (knee), Leon Osman (knee) and Jack Rodwell (hamstring) of the senior players to return from injury.