You could forgive David Moyes for wearing a smug grin of satisfaction on Saturday evening, after his side belatedly secured their second win of the season at home to Wigan.

It wouldn’t just have been because of the three points, but the way they came about.

Everton have begun this season under the cloud over financial meltdown and supporter protest, with the football betting suggesting it could be a year of struggle.

Moyes was once again forced to balance the books over the summer, raking in nearly £20million thanks to the sales of Mikel Arteta, Yakubu, Jermaine Beckford and James Vaughan, bringing in just two loan players.

Those sole arrivals – Royston Drenthe and Denis Stracqualursi – made a huge impact against Wigan on Saturday, combining to score the third goal that sealed the win in injury time.

Just a few minutes earlier, Greek striker Apostos Velios, signed from the Greek second division for just £50,000 last January, scored his first goal for the club with a towering header from Tony Hibbert’s cross.

It was a header befitting of former terrace hero Duncan Ferguson and, coming on the back of a promising appearance from the bench last week, suggests the 19-year-old is ready to become Moyes’ latest recession busting bargain buy.

The Scot just keeps on pulling rabbits out of the hat. The team actually looked rounded and more balanced in the past two games then it did for much of last season yet has had hardly a penny spent on it, indeed it has technically been weakened.

The financial worries will not go away and the club will not trouble the premier league betting anytime soon, but as long as Moyes remains in charge, Evertonians can be assured that their heads will be kept firmly above water.