Michael Kenrick 14/10/2025 48comments  |  Jump to last
Bradford City 5 - 1 Everton U21s

Everton U21s had a disastrous game at Bradford City on Tuesday night in Northern Group C of the EFL Vertu Trophy at the University of Bradford Stadium, giving up 4 goals in a terrible first half. Then in the second half, it appears that Joel Catesby sustained a broken ankle. 

The Young Blues are not having a great season so far: they have won only one of their last five games, losing all the others. Paul Tait’s side have won only one of their last six games in all competitions, and tonight, they are set to face League One outfit Bradford City.

And they don't tend to do very well against other professional league teams.  In this competition;they have already lost their opening group match at Doncaster Rovers. 

The match is being broadcast on Sky Sports+. The game kicks off at 7:30 pm BST.

And it was seen by the Everton hierarchy and an opportunity for some fringe players to get some match practice with Natham Patterson, Dwight McNeil and Adam Aznou in the starting line-up. On the other side, Jenson Metcalfe, formerly of this parish, who left Everton Academy last July.

But whatever experience that might have brought to proceedings, it didn't look too smart by half-time, when the Blues had let in 4 goals.

On the hour mark and winger Joel Gatesby went down in agony, punching the grass: it looked very much like he had broken his right ankle. It was nearly 10 minutes before he was stretchered off, with Justin Clarke replacing him.  

Clarke's dangerous cross a few minutes later saw Wright play it into his own net in an effort to deny any player in Blue from scoring.

But the home side got another one 5 minutes before the end when the Blues lost possession in midfield, despite George Pickford getting a hand to it before it was bundled in. Pickford would go on to make two tremendous saves to stop a rout. 

The dismal result means Everton will not progress out of this group and must still play a dead rubber against Grimsby.  

Everton U21s: G Pickford, N Patterson [Y:45+1'] (90+2' Morgan), Tamen [Y:90+5'], Thomas, Aznou, Gomez, Bates, Beaumont-Clark (79' Finney [Y:90+13']), McNeil, Catesby (70' Clarke), Benjamin [Y:76'] (90+2' Ebere).

Subs not Used: Lukjanciks, Samuels-Smith, Van Schoor.

Attendance: 4,170 

 

Reader Comments (48)

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Mike Allison
1 Posted 14/10/2025 at 18:07:10
Is this still the same competition they're in every year?

I thought that had been replaced by the National League Cup, so are they in both?

Michael Kenrick
2 Posted 14/10/2025 at 20:19:53
Yes, it's hard to keep track because they keep changing the names.

The boys are not doing to well... 4 - 0 down at half-time! Ouch!!!

Ian Bennett
3 Posted 14/10/2025 at 20:36:29
How are Aznou, McNeil and Patterson playing?
Robert Tressell
4 Posted 14/10/2025 at 20:40:41
A reminder that the standard of U21s is very, very low. Hopefully the three players returning to fitness have a good run around.

It would be good to see them becoming more serious contenders for first-team minutes as we need the options.

Dickie Langley
5 Posted 14/10/2025 at 20:58:22
Awful injury to Catesby.
Ian Wilkins
6 Posted 14/10/2025 at 21:04:35
Sadly, Everton don't have a lot in reserve. The Academy has been weak for a number of years. Underinvestment in every sense.

3 more senior players starting tonight too which doesn't augur well.

Tony Abrahams
7 Posted 14/10/2025 at 21:09:16
Two who probably don't want to be there, Ian, and a young kid from Morocco probably thinking to himself, "What the fuck have I got myself into?"
Geoff Williams
8 Posted 14/10/2025 at 21:19:19
What an appalling performance. Really can't see the need for this team if this is a true reflection of the players' talent.
Rob Dolby
9 Posted 14/10/2025 at 21:24:03
I watched most of the first half and up until the lad got injured.

At 4-0 up their Number 2 didn't need to make that challenge from behind which has probably broken the lad's ankle or leg.

It's like watching a men's team against a talented U16 team.

At this level the lads playing lower league look like seasoned professionals who know the game.

Our U21s look like a tidy bunch of players who love going sideways and backwards with no real threat going forward.

Bradford are no mugs at this level.

Tony Abrahams
10 Posted 14/10/2025 at 21:52:35
Bradford are on a real upward curve Rob, and that description of season professionals, playing against tidy (over-coached) kids, who love going sideward and backwards, just takes me back to that old argument of what is so good about Under-21s football?

Once you become a professional footballer, the first thing you should be made to realise is that there is no going back because it's now a man's game and sometimes I no longer feel that this is the case.

Robert Tressell
11 Posted 14/10/2025 at 22:15:53
Tony, I hear this phrase "over-coached" but don't get it. Surely you mean badly coached?

I see no problem with the likes of Saka, Nwaneri, Palmer, Foden, Lewis, O'Reilly, Mainoo etc who will have been at least as intensively coached as our lot.

Same goes for all the top academies around the world. I don't think they would recognise over-coaching.

Mike Gaynes
12 Posted 14/10/2025 at 23:00:57
Scant consolation I know, but Paddy Boyland in The Athletic reports that our youngsters on loan are generally doing well.

Armstrong has started his last two games at Preston and the club and fans love him, according to former Everton keeper coach Alan Kelly, who is doing radio work at Preston. Rumor has it that Harrison will return to Everton when Gana leaves for Afcon.

Martin Sherif has scored two goals for League One Rotherham despite missing a month with a hammy injury.

Isaac Heath is described as "an unbelievable talent" by his Accrington Stanley manager John Doolan. He's playing left wing-back, scored a great goal and is one of the best chance creators in League Two.

Tyler Onyango is playing right wing-back for Stockport and was doing well until getting sent off two games ago.

Francis Okoronkwo is off to a quiet start at Lincoln.

Dickie Langley
13 Posted 14/10/2025 at 23:16:12
Aznou was technically good (probably best on the pitch), but Bradford pressed him hard and he lacked physical presence. Patterson was... well, he looked a similar level to Bradford. McNeil was okay, but so one-footed, and a little slow to execute his passes.

Some good play from most of them at some point, with Tamen and Gomez playing well. Pickford really struggled with the ball at his feet, but should be pleased with his saves in the late second half.

My last 4 games have been losses to Bournemouth (twice), Roma, and now Bradford. One day I'll see us win again!

Craig Scott
14 Posted 15/10/2025 at 03:10:06
I don't know if it's poor coaching and management, poor recruitment or both?

Either way, it's a concern that there appears little quality from the lower grades pressing the first team for places.

Steve Brown
15 Posted 15/10/2025 at 06:19:08
Echo ratings for the first team squad members who played last night for the U21s:

Nathan Patterson 3: A tough night at the office for the Scotland international as he diverted Humphrys' effort into his own net, almost put another one in, handled the ball on a rare foray forward and was shown a yellow card for good.

Adam Aznou 4: David Moyes warned that the Morocco international wasn't quite ready for first-team football, but after a testing time when thrown in early against Roma in Everton's final pre-season friendly, he wasn't pulling up any trees here as part of a back four that was pulled to pieces in the first half.

Dwight McNeil 4: Playing in the number 10 role, a talent of his magnitude should have been running the show here, but he was instead largely anonymous.

That is £38M plus add-ons worth of transfer fees for those 3 players.

Robert Tressell
16 Posted 15/10/2025 at 06:53:11
Maybe the quiet, poor showing from McNeil suggests this was being treated by the first teamers as a fitness exercise rather than a competitive match. So playing within themselves so as not to get injured (like they do in pre-seasons).

All three started the season injured I think. McNeil can certainly be a good player — he's been one of our best for the past couple of years.

Andrew Ellams
17 Posted 15/10/2025 at 07:24:58
There's been a few pastings handed out to Premier League U21 teams in this competition so far this year.

Just goes to show how poor that level is in this country and it's about time something was done about it.

Tony Abrahams
18 Posted 15/10/2025 at 07:41:21
You are probably closer to the button, Robert. Over-coached by mediocre coaches: do as I say, not what I can do.

I have watched enough football at this type of level when I've walked away thinking "It seems to be all about the coach." I remember when I used to speak to one kid's grandad, who had played a bit of football in his younger days. He used to entertain me a lot more than the football when he used to get exasperated watching the kids play (under 15).

"I can't believe I've come again, Tony, I only come because I love watching my grandson play, but it bores the fucking life out of me watching them playing a game that seems to be a lot more about the satisfying of their coach than it does about getting some actual enjoyment out of the game."

So yes, bad or methodical and very mundane coaching, but the sad thing about this is that 90% of teams used to play exactly the same way.

Sam Hoare
19 Posted 15/10/2025 at 08:08:59
Robert, the first teamers should surely see such a match as an opportunity to show their quality and make a claim for inclusion. If Aznou managed a clean sheet and two good assists it might have suggested he was closer to first team readiness than Moyes recently stated.

None of these players have even been appearing from the bench. Last night's performance may have showed why. Someone like McNeil should be dominant at this level.

Colin Glassar
20 Posted 15/10/2025 at 08:35:37
An absolute waste of time and money.
Dave Abrahams
21 Posted 15/10/2025 at 09:27:09
Robert (11) I think all those players you mentioned were born with a natural football talent and with good coaches would be allowed to use it and add to it as they progressed instead of becoming a robot like the most of today’s young players joining a lot of Academies, changing the coaches might be one way of getting the best out of these players.n
Brian Harrison
22 Posted 15/10/2025 at 09:55:38
I see yesterday Nick Cox I think thats his name takes control of the academy set up as well has having input into the first team. He was in charge of Man Utds academy, so lets hope he can unearth some youngsters as he did while at Utd. I have felt for years our Academy set up has trailed behind many Premier league clubs. I agree with many posters who say about the poor coaching of our youngsters, when you compare the quality of young players City produce, Foden, Palmer, Bobb, and quite a few others. lets hope Cox can start to turn things around.
Martin Reppion
23 Posted 15/10/2025 at 10:08:21
I went to Bradford last night.
A few points.
Most of our top u21s are out on loan so this was a very young group with a few additions.
Bradford are a very fit experienced side, with a good manager, who are very much on the up.
Of the players on show, only Tamen looked up to the physical battle. He is a big unit and was unfortunate that those around him kept giving the ball away in dangerous areas.
Aznou looked to have good skills and a belief in his ability. He won't be long in stepping up.
McNeil tried to get things going but was frustrated by not having any support runners.
Paterson was seriously woeful.
Finally young Pickford in goal has the sort of footballing skills that would embarrass a goalkeeper in Sunday morning football. Yes he made two decent late saves, but his distribution is awful.

As for the challenge on Catesby. I have not seen it back on TV yet. But it looked like the Bradford man went right through him from behind. As no foul was given I could be wrong.

Jim Bennings
24 Posted 15/10/2025 at 10:34:10
A healthy dose of reality for those that think the answer is in our academy.

Let me drive it home, out academy is shit and has been shit for some serious time now.

Other clubs churn out top young talent on a yearly basis, clubs without our standing in the game.

Robert Tressell
25 Posted 15/10/2025 at 10:47:13
Sam # 19 I agree in theory but they could have been told to take it easy by the medical staff as they get them match fit. Not saying that’s the case - just a credible possibility.

In terms of other clubs’ development of players - it’s like most other things wrong with the club: we have been operating as though we were relegated at the end of the 20/21 season. And that’s after a period of substantial mismanagement since 2016.

Investment and competent club management has just not been there. We’re getting back ion track again now though.

Brian Harrison
26 Posted 15/10/2025 at 10:52:22
I know many say why are we bothered about our academy, well to compete against the very best teams you need talent and money. seeing our turnover will never compete with clubs who are regularly in the Champions league, then we need to either produce our own who can progress us to a Champions league place, or produce players that we can sell to help us compete with the top teams.
The problem with selling your best players to compete with the top teams is you can soon run out of top talent to sell. but keeping your best players is very hard if you aren't competing in Europe every year. But as Newcastle have found to their cost even reaching the Champions league spot doesn't guarantee that your best player will stay. Really is a catch 22 situation for clubs looking to try and join the elite, and as each year goes by it gets harder and harder to break into the Champions league places, even more so now that UEFA have increased the money for those competing in the Champions league spots.
Steve Brown
27 Posted 15/10/2025 at 11:19:17
David Moyes travelled to Bradford to watch the game, and I doubt he went there to cast the rule over the youngsters.

If the fitness team advised the first-teamers to treat it as a fitness exercise he wouldn’t have travelled. He was there to see Patterson, McNeil and Aznou play - badly.

They will only have reinforced to the manager that they do not offer a useful option in the first team or the bench.

Andrew Ellams
28 Posted 15/10/2025 at 11:23:54
I'd bet good money on Aznou being the next Niels Nkounkou and will disappear without ever making a mark on the club.
Robert Tressell
29 Posted 15/10/2025 at 11:30:16
Strange conclusion Steve. McNeil has been one of our best players for the past 2 seasons. I’d hope that he still has plenty to offer when fit. Patterson time is running out. Aznou too early to say.

I don’t think anything is definite - we’re all guessing.

What sounds like a serious injury to Catesby indicates the risk posed by these (fairly meaningless) games too.


Jim Bennings
30 Posted 15/10/2025 at 11:46:03
McNeil has been bang average Robert to be fair.

If that's the standard that we have all become accustomed to as Everton fans nowadays, you wonder why we never achieve anything.

He's one of the most pedestrian one footed players I've ever watched in an Everton shirt, and I've seen some truly awful ones.

He worked relatively hard under Dyche (shouldn't that be a given though anyway?).

But the reality of Dwight McNeil is he's going to score you one or two worldies a season, he's got a good left foot I give him that, but then again so did Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

It takes more than what McNeil can offer to make a good player for me though, and the fact that Everton will be the biggest club he ever plays for should tell as much.

Phil Roberts
31 Posted 15/10/2025 at 14:56:56
What is the age that an academy star is ready? 18? 19?

At what stage to do we pick up these kids? 8?

It is a 10-year journey. I have just read an article about early years development and that 25% of children are now starting school and still wearing nappies because their parents have not taught them to go to the toilet. It included the quote:

"The first few years of a child's life are crucial to their development. It is during this period of brain development that the foundations of language, communication and emotional security are laid."

Is the same not true about our football academy? The first few years of a footballer's life are crucial to their development.

So, if we have wasted the years from age 8 to 12 in a player's development -- are we going to turn it around when they are 12-18? So the current crop of "probably not going to be good enough" will only be crop of 1st possibles in 10 years from when we finally sort out the Academy. Has it already started?

But who has made it in the last 25 years? Hibbert, Rooney, Osman, Rodwell, Barkley, Davies, Gordon. Any others?
Anichebe? Stones, Holgate, Calvert-Lewin, Branthwaite were already "educated" when they arrived.

7 in 25 years... that is 3 per decade... and 3 were over 20 years ago, so that is 4 in the past 20 years!

Armstrong looks to be one who will make it but I suspect the others out on loan will be millionaires before they are 30 and never play above Championship level.

Don't expect any change in the conveyor belt for a few years -- and even longer if it has not been fixed yet.

Mike Gaynes
32 Posted 15/10/2025 at 15:39:22
Brian #22, Cox takes over as the Academy director, but it's James Smith who is handling recruitment. It'll be Cox's portfolio to develop the players Smith and his team bring in. And as Phil points out, it takes a looooooong time.

Andrew #28, Aznou's pedigree is Barcelona and Bayern, and he's already a full international for Morocco. I'll take that bet.

Bill Hawker
33 Posted 15/10/2025 at 16:27:53
Andrew #28.

Niels is a name I haven't heard in a long time so I looked him up. On loan to Torino from Frankfurt. Had an assist off the bench in their last match which was a 3-3 draw against Lazio.

Mike Gaynes
34 Posted 15/10/2025 at 18:15:46
Yep, Bill, I've sorta kept track of him... he's trying to build a career as a left winger after failing at every stop as a fullback. Standard Liège, Cardiff City, Saint-Étienne and now Frankfurt have moved him on.
Paul Hewitt
35 Posted 15/10/2025 at 19:09:00
Why buy this lad Aznou?. It's clear Moyes won't use him. Simply holding the lads career up. Should have stayed at Bayern. He would probably have got a decent loan move, and played games.

Mark Taylor
36 Posted 15/10/2025 at 19:59:48
So based on these reports, it remains the case we have no specialist first choice right back nor a back up left back (and in truth, we need a first choice option in that position with attacking capacity).

I appreciate Rome wasn't built in a day but frankly this looks like a dreadful miscalculation.

Ian Bennett
37 Posted 15/10/2025 at 20:03:51
Here's a thing. Why don't Patterson l, Mcneil and Aznou put in a performance.

Too many feelings sorry for themselves, and some fans are happy to support it.

From what I read, their attitude, technical ability and fitness is way off.

Think they need to look at themselves in the mirror. Plenty of footballers have found themselves out the picture, but stinking the gaff out in the reserves isn't going to help the situation.

Peter Gorman
38 Posted 15/10/2025 at 20:10:43
Whilst I agree that the output from the academy has been disappointing in recent years, does it really need to be said that it pays for itself and more? That's why it's worth it.

The sale of Antony Gordon sees it running for a decade or more. Add to that, the fees for Ellis Simms or Tom Cannon.

They cannot all be Phil Foden or Harry Kane.

Without knowing what precisely is meant by 'making it', it is a fact that a ton of academy players have had minutes in the first team over the past 25 years.

Tony Abrahams
39 Posted 15/10/2025 at 20:17:17
Dickie and Martin, are two people who were at the game and they have both given their opinions on this thread.

It doesn’t sound like the two senior players or the young kid, who is still trying to get to grips with the English game, were disinterested, and it does sound like Aznou, has got a lot of natural ability, so hopefully Martin, is correct and it won’t be long before the kid, is stepping up🤞

Peter@38, I also think that selling kids from the academy probably kept Everton, out of administration when Bill Kenwright, was in charge of the club?

Martin Reppion
40 Posted 15/10/2025 at 22:04:44
Thanks for the comment, Tony.
I have always thought that Patterson would come good, but after last night I doubt he has the right mentality. He needs to go and find a club that will play him, whatever their level. Regular football may get him back to the form he showed in Scotland. He really looked lost.
McNeil was the fastest player on the park, but Bradford were savvy enough to channel him away from danger and the academy lads couldn't support him.
As I said before, Aznou was industrious as well as quite skillful. Happy to back his ability. But with few options to pass to, its hard to run 80 yards with the ball. I was sitting level to the halfway line about 8 rows back (I live in Yorkshire and got my ticket from Bradford, so was not counted in the doughty 64 Evertonians) so had a great view of him.
It's always disappointing when any Everton side lose. But put in context, losing sleep over games like this isn't worth it. If all our young talent had been available, rather than being out getting real experience week in week out, we may have been closer to the standard needed.
Derek Thomas
41 Posted 15/10/2025 at 22:28:01
This topic...kids not making it...pops up on a regular basis and about 1 occasion in three I get out my box of 1960s programs, pick one at random and look at the 'A' or 'B' teams for a 'name' - and, like our Academy, I don't often find one.

Conclusion; "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

On the other hand...Sometimes you get lucky:
Rankin, Wright, Hurst, Kenyon, Harvey, Husband Whittle, Royle, Lyons, Johnson, Darracott, Peter Scott, Archie Styles,

Si Cooper
42 Posted 16/10/2025 at 01:45:54
Martin (23), agree with that word for word except I have reviewed the incident (not something you really want to do unless you have a strong stomach) when the very unfortunate Catesby (who was one other I thought showed heart and ability) was stricken, and on balance I think it was a reasonable but futile attempt to win the ball by the Bradford player which just caught the dancing Catesby just after he’d planted his foot and sent all his weight sideways. Couldn’t really tell how much lateral force came from the tackler, but it seemed clumsy rather than malicious.

I didn’t see a team wanting to go sideways or backwards though. If anything I thought we were too gung-ho at times, trying to force force the tempo when the precision level wasn’t good enough.

Dickie (13), I thought Gomez was at least busy but he was as wholly ineffectual as some of the others for whom it was very much boys against men.

Si Cooper
43 Posted 16/10/2025 at 02:02:11
On the Catesby injury, kudos to Dwight McNeil for staying with the youngster whilst others obviously found it too uncomfortable to be close too.
Bobby Mallon
44 Posted 16/10/2025 at 07:10:13
Tony 18. You are absolutely right. I have watched my sons teams through the ages hes playing pub football now and not once have I thought this is about the kids. Its all about the coaches ego. Nepotism is rife, I remember a dad brought his son along one Sunday. The kid came on for the coach son and turned the game scoring 2 great goals and was a brilliant player. He was on the bench for the rest of the season because he played in the coaches sons position.
Even now with rolling subs players are still left on the bench and only get 10 mins here and there
Tony Abrahams
45 Posted 16/10/2025 at 07:39:59
I despair at a lot of the football I see now Bobby.

Honestly, I think the coaching manual’s should be ripped up or at least modified, and I think it’s something that Si, has just written about the kids performance the other night, that has just resonated with the personal thoughts I’ve been having about how best to teach young players for quite a while now.

Not going backwards and sideways, and if anything they were just to hung-ho. This makes me think that the kids were ‘very understandably’ out of their comfort zone, and when this happens, the first thing to go is usually the brain?

They obviously teach them a lot at these academies, but nowhere near enough, imo.

What’s the greatest skill in football? Is something I often ask young kids, or coaches, and whilst they are debating if it’s the Ronaldo Chop, The Maradona Spin, or The Cruyff turn, I have to tell them “No” because the greatest skill in football (imo) has definitely got to be movement?

To play with movement, you need to have a lot of energy, and because a lot of coaching is boring, then being bored is the enemy of Energy! That’s how I see it anyway 🤷‍♂️

Liam Mogan
46 Posted 16/10/2025 at 07:52:05
Good insight that Tony. I would probably add being able to control and move the ball quickly and accurately.
Dave Abrahams
47 Posted 16/10/2025 at 09:27:58
Tony (45) What has been the one common denominator missing from Everton’s football for the last few years under every manager— movement— all over the pitch— and the lack of it doesn’t half show.
Tony Abrahams
48 Posted 16/10/2025 at 13:58:01
Obviously Liam, but that comes later, firstly I think you should take away long passing, at least until the kids have learned how to play in tight areas, through constant movement.

How many kids do you see take another touch because they want to dribble and express themselves?

This is because they are often switched onto themselves, rather than being switched onto the whole game, imo?

There’s nothing wrong with this especially because every talented footballer, should at times be definitely encouraged to express themselves, but this type of constant quick football, is imo perfect, because it enables players to identify space.

When good players are given time and space, they can usually make something happen, and if there’s one thing that usually buys a player, a little bit more time and space, then it’s got to be through the movement, of both himself and his teammates imo.

#movement is the key!🤷‍♂️

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