Naismith earns Goodison cheers despite helping sink Everton

( Reuters) - Everton's League Cup upset at the hands of second tier Norwich City on Tuesday was overshadowed by the rare sight of the Goodison Park faithful giving a standing ovation to an opposing striker scoring against the home side.

Steven Naismith, who netted the opener in the 2-0 win, spent four years at the Merseyside club before he moved to Norwich in January but he remains a fan-favourite at Everton thanks to his industrious displays on the pitch and social conscience off it.

The 30-year-old is no stranger to charity work and helps homeless centres in Liverpool and Glasgow. Naismith regularly bought tickets for Everton home games to donate to unemployed people across Liverpool during his time at Goodison Park.

"The reaction sums this club up. Everton is a magnificent club with magnificent people," Naismith told British media.

Naismith has also launched a project in Glasgow to help injured service personnel back into mainstream employment and is an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland.

"It was weird for myself but the fans have been magnificent to me throughout and I wouldn't have expected anything else. I couldn't have wished for a more special way to score," he added.

(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)