Goodison cat reminded me of Cecil the lion – Martinez

Roberto Martinez has tipped the cat that interrupted Everton’s 2-0 FA Cup third-round win over Dagenham and Redbridge to achieve the same level of stardom as Cecil the lion.

Everton coasted into round four thanks to Arouna Kone’s first-half strike and Kevin Mirallas’ late penalty, and it would have been more had visiting goalkeeper Mark Cousins not clawed several efforts to safety.

However, it was the black-and-white intruder, who brought a temporary pause to proceedings at Goodison Park, that really left Martinez purring.

“I thought he had great style and movement,” Martinez quipped after the game.

“He’s a young cat who’ll make mistakes.

“I don’t want to put any pressure on him, but he reminds me of Cecil the lion.”

Cecil – previously a star attraction at Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe – hit headlines across the world in 2015 when he was killed by US dentist Walter Palmer.