'Dying breed' Ferguson exits Everton in style

Everton manager David Moyes is expected to confirm next week Duncan Ferguson will not be offered a new contract with the club.

The Goodison Park chief witnessed the Toffees fans give their legendary striker a warm send off to what they expected to be his last match for the club.

Ferguson fittingly netted the late equaliser to force a 2-2 draw with relegated West Brom and then went on a lap of honour to accept the acclaim from fans, who have a special bond with the big forward.

Everton's players then gave Ferguson a guard of honour as he left the pitch, but Moyes was unwilling to put the final stamp on the Scot's departure.

Moyes said: "I will speak to Duncan and the other players, I have not spoken to them yet.

"But you will not hear any other way than after I have talked to the players themselves."

But Moyes praised the reception the Goodison fans gave to their idol, saying: "I felt the fans were terrific, not just for Duncan but for all the players."

Everton had fought back from two down to snatch a point but still finished with their lowest goals tally for a league season in their history.

It is a situation that troubles Moyes and one he will clearly move to sort out in the summer with Ferguson expected to make way for a younger player.

Fans waited to cheer Ferguson out of the stadium long after the final whistle as Moyes said: "We should have won by a mile, everybody sensed that.

"We certainly should not have been behind. It was good goalkeeping and poor finishing.

"We had to come from a long way back and I must credit the players for that, and if it had gone on another five minutes we may well have won.

"The lack of goals has been the story of our season and it is something we must address.

"It is not just the forwards, we have midfielders, wide players and defenders all having chances and wasting them.

"Some of it was really good goalkeeping but the goals tally this season has been very poor."

West Brom manager Bryan Robson did not attend the post-match media conference.