Baines delighted to put Everton injury nightmare behind him
Leighton Baines is targeting Capital One Cup glory after in Everton's 2-0 quarter-final victory at Middlesbrough on Tuesday evening.
The 30-year-old England international played for the last 17 minutes - his first competitive football since May following operations on a damaged ankle.
He told evertontv: "We're excited about where we are at the moment and we're looking forward. This run is something we're all excited about - you could see that in the way we played and the support we brought up.
"There are no easy rides and we are prepared for that. We are made up to be in the [semi-final] draw. We're not far off from where we want to be in the league as well.
"We're a few good results away from getting back in the mix for the European positions and there's no better time to hit form than now over the Christmas period."
For Baines, it was a thrill simply to be back involved in senior football after his frustrating lay-off.
He said: "It was great to get back out on the pitch. It has been a long time for me - it's getting on for seven months now since I last played any competitive football - so it's nice to be involved and back out on the pitch."