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Moyes aiming for CL berth

David Moyes has led Everton to an impressive start to the season © Getty Images

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David Moyes is targeting Champions League qualification for Everton after a flying start to the season has seen them establish themselves in the top four.

The Toffees' form, winning four and drawing two of seven Premier League games, has seen Moyes handed the Manager of the Month award for September, but he is not willing to settle for that and wants to carry on the success through the season.

"With the quality of the Premier League it is really hard to qualify for the Champions League but I wouldn't say we can't do it,'' Moyes said. "It is possible and you have to aim for that. If we fall short and end up in the Europa League then so be it, but in recent years we have been pretty close, finishing sixth, seventh or eighth, so we want to do that at the very least.

"But I am really pleased and with all these awards it comes as a team thing. It is something the whole team has strived to achieve. The players have played well, they are in good form. We have had a good start to the season through August and September."

Moyes is not reading too much into their uncharacteristically good start to the season, but pins the early-season form on an ability to complete his transfer business earlier than usual. "The pleasing thing is that we tend not to start that well but we have won a few games,'' he told Everton's official website.

"I do say it carefully as I see 10 games as a start and we are only six or seven in at the moment - we have to be careful how we view it. People have asked me like there has been a big change, or we have done something differently but every year you try to do things right and get off to a good start.

"The year we had a good start we qualified for the Champions League [in 2005] and we have been trying to get back to that. We have tried doing the exact same things but you need a bit of luck and you need good players. Importantly [this year], we had most of our recruitment done early and that gave me a chance to go into this season with a few added to the team that finished last season."

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