The Australia midfielder, 27, made his first senior appearance in almost seven months in Thursday's 3-1 victory against Greek outfit Larissa.

While David Moyes' men were busy qualifying for the UEFA Cup towards the end of last season, Cahill was forced to watch in bitter frustration from the stands.

He sustained a metatarsal injury at Sheffield United on March 3 and then aggravated it in a friendly against Werder Bremen at the end of July.

But, having returned to fitness, he proved his goalscoring instinct remains firmly intact with a delightful diving header against Larissa.

The result encouraged hopes on the blue half of Merseyside that Everton can make a serious impact on this season's UEFA Cup.

"Europe is very important to us because it is probably the thing that we've been missing," said Cahill, who signed a new five-year deal in the summer.

"We've been so close yet so far away and this is the added ingredient that we need.

"We've done well in the league in the last few seasons but doing well in Europe is what the fans and players like myself have been waiting for.

"I've always wanted to play in Europe and this is a massive boost for myself and the reason why I re-signed.

"This is possibly the next level for this football club.

"We're pretty much established in the Premier League and the next level was to get to Europe and to try to make this pinnacle and a stepping stone to even greater things."

Nobody at Goodison Park needs reminding of Everton's previous European campaign two years ago.

Having qualified for the Champions League ahead of neighbours Liverpool in 2005, Everton were subsequently beaten in the qualifiers by Spanish outfit Villarreal.

No shame in that, but an abject 5-1 UEFA Cup surrender against Dinamo Bucharest brought the Toffees' campaign to an abrupt and humiliating end.

But with Cahill back in their side, Everton look to have the firepower needed to make a serious impact on this season's competition.

"The team performance against Larissa was great and I was made up to get a goal," said Cahill.

"Overall, I'm just happy to get the minutes on the pitch.

"It's been very difficult but when you work with good staff it makes it easier and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"It was a bit of a shock that I started the game but I'm just happy to be a part of us doing well in Europe.

"I've done all I can to get myself fully fit and now it's about playing games of football now."

The former Millwall man has even adapted his boots to prevent further problems with his metatarsal bones.

Toffees boss Moyes believes modern lightweight boots are a factor in the increase in foot injuries, with Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham among several players to have suffered metatarsal injuries.

Cahill explained: "I've just put a bit more protection on my boots to help me change my running style and transfer the weight away from my fifth metatarsal.

"They seem to be doing well but only time will tell.

"They've had to stiffen the sole and shaved the studs right down.

"The grounds these days are really hard, even at Goodison, so I'm just trying to find a happy medium."