Ellis Simms says his loan spell at Sunderland helped him prepare for the challenge of playing Premier League football for Everton. The young striker spent the first half of the campaign on loan at the Stadium of Light, before being recalled by Frank Lampard in January.
Now playing under Sean Dyche at Goodison Park, Simms came off the bench to score Everton's late equalising goal to earn his side a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the weekend. And as he looked forward to bagging more goals for the Toffees, he has reflected on his journey so far, including the lessons learned on his loan spells.
Simms scored seven goals for Sunderland in just 17 appearances, often having to lead the line on his own with Ross Stewart ruled out for lengthy spells during his time in the North East. That persuaded under-pressure Lampard to bring him back to Merseyside and, while he was sacked by Everton shortly afterwards, new manager Dyche has used him largely from the bench - culminating in Saturday's Stamford Bridge heroics.
