Michael Kenrick 03/10/2025 8comments  |  Jump to last
Everton U21s 1 - 2 Man Utd U21s

The PL2 clash between Everton U21s and Man Utd 21s on Friday night at Walton Hall Park ended in a narrow defeat for the home side.

The game was streamed live and free to Forever Blue+ Members, who were also eligible for a free ticket if they can get to the ground. 

The last time these teams met was when they had been drawn to play each other in the Round of 16 Playoffs for last season's PL2 trophy. But it didn't end well for Paul Tait's charges on that day in April when they lost 4-2 and with it the remote chance of lifting the trophy.

Everton U21s seemed to have gotten off to a good start this season with wins against Solihull Moors in the National League Cup, and Blackburn Rovers in the first PL2 game of the season. 

But five consecutive losses in subsequent games took any gloss off that until they recorded a narrow win away to Middlesbrough in the Riverside Stadium last Friday night. 

On the night... 

The Blues went behind to a well-taken goal in the first half. But with half-time approaching, an excellent pacey cross from Josh van Schoor across the face of the goal at head height was met with a great header by Omari Benjamin from close in. The Blues went on all square at half-time.

Jack Patterson seemed to jar his knee in a challenge and he went off for Callum Bates in the second ha;f. But the Blues were pegged back for long spells and eventually the Red Devils scrambled in a very scrappy goal to take the lead 12 minutes before the end.  

Everton U21s: G Pickford, Finney, Van Schoor (87' Campbell), Tamen, Thomas, J Patterson (54' Bates), Beaumont-Clark (74' Clarke), Gomez [Y:85'], Benjamin (87' Ebere), Graham, Catesby.

Subs not Used: Lukjanciks.

 

 

Reader Comments (8)

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Dave Abrahams
1 Posted 03/10/2025 at 21:08:38
Everton’s goal looked like a good case of the full back overlapping on the wing and putting a great centre in for Benjamin to dive in with a very good header.

Did Van Schoor play for the U18’s last season? He looks like a decent full back in the making, tall and with a nice turn of pace.

Michael Kenrick
2 Posted 03/10/2025 at 22:04:40
Yes, Dave, he was a regular.

This threw me today -- I thought there was a rule that no U21 streaming was allowed if it overlapped with a Premier League game.

Seems they musta changed that rule this season.

Ajay Gopal
3 Posted 04/10/2025 at 04:13:54
No senior players involved?

It seems like a game where the likes of Aznou, Patterson should have gotten some game time.

Alan J Thompson
4 Posted 04/10/2025 at 05:31:56
Now come on, Ajay(#3), how can Moyes see them in training on the grass if they are playing U21s?

I seem to remember stories of Unsworth having to drag Koeman almost screaming to watch the U21s playing at Tranmere.

Martin Farrington
5 Posted 04/10/2025 at 10:11:29
I have voiced my concerns many times regarding this useless set-up. It needs to be binned. The framework that for decades has failed continues. Staggering.

Further proof of its pointlessness is the indifference and no-show from the manager of the 1st team. If he pays no interest when this lot are supposed to be feeding his squad, that rather sums it all up.

Michael Kenrick
6 Posted 04/10/2025 at 14:36:44
It's been years... decades even since first-team players would appear for the 'Reserves' to keep them match-sharp.

It just does not happen. Many players even have clauses apparently that say they will not play for the U21s.

I wonder if the purpose of the Academy is really to produce players for the first team? It happens with such incredible rarity and such a high wastage rate... seems it's there nowadays more to churn out players for the lower leagues.

The irony being, if those lower league clubs have to pay for this highly trained almost Premier League (but not quite) talent, the flow of riches trickling down the fabled football pyramid is actually reversed.

Jack Convery
7 Posted 05/10/2025 at 04:28:36
Bring back the Reserves League. Gives game time to those 1st team squad players not making appearances. Also allows a manager to suss out those with a bad attitude and get rid.

Why, by the way, are these games played at Walton Hall Park. Rent out Goodison Park from that subsidiary company and I'm sure they'd get decent gates. Imagine if we'd been allowed to see Travers, Tyrer, Aznou (who needs game time), plus McNeil, Dibling, Patterson, maybe both Beto and Barry to get them scoring. Maybe when we played Wolves, Travers, McNeil, Alcaraz, Dibling wouldn't have looked so disinterested and been a lot more up to speed.

Last season, Elijah Campbell played 33 games in Scotland on loan to Ross County. This season he's not on loan and has played 183 minutes of football. How on earth is that enough to aid his development? It's farcical. If he played in an Everton Reserves team, surely he would learn more, as he would be up against Premier League players.

The game used to be simple. No longer jumpers for goal posts, alas.

Robert Tressell
8 Posted 05/10/2025 at 07:47:34
Jack, the loan system has replaced the reserves. We loan very few players compared to other Premier League clubs (at least in part due to small squad and low quality academy). Many clubs have 15 to 20 players out on loan.

It isn't especially complicated -- it's just different to how it used to be.

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