Séeamus Coleman still keen to adapt to keep the journey going

It's been quite a career for Séamus Coleman. And it's not over yet.

The back end of last season saw Coleman play through the pain barrier as Everton just about kept their place in the Premier League. Trailing 2-0 at half time to Crystal Palace in the penultimate game of the season, things were looking bleak.

However, an inspired second-half recovery saw the Toffees turns things around to stunning effect. A 3-2 win preserved Everton's stay in the top flight for a 69th season. Goodison Park went wild. For Coleman, the relief was palpable after a tough campaign for the club, even though he couldn't fully join in in the celebrations.

"I wasn't able to run and celebrate, I was in that much pain," he said, when speaking to the media at the launch of SPAR's Better Choices campaign.

With a week off after the conclusion of the Premier League, Coleman had time to recuperate in advance of joining up with the Republic of Ireland squad for the start of their Nations League campaign. Against Armenia, the Killybegs native sustained a groin injury. He would require surgery; a hernia procedure.

On Saturday next, Everton, winless after their first two Premier League games, welcome Nottingham Forest to Goodison.

Coleman will be available again for selection. "I'm feeling good now, feeling better, the pain is gone which is a good thing," he revealed. And so the player, who Everton signed from Sligo Rovers for a modest £60,000 in January 2009, is raring to go again. The fires are still burning brightly. No sign yet that Coleman, who'll be 34 in October, is intent on slowing down.

"I want to keep going for as long as I can," he added. That's not to prove people wrong, that can sound a bit bitter to say something like that.

"I just love competing,