On Friday evening, following a beautiful day of sunshine on Merseyside, Everton U21s took on Watford in the awkwardly-named Professional Development League Play-off quarter final. This game was part of a mini-competition where teams that finished in the lower half of Premier League 2 (Everton) meet teams from the top of the division below, the Professional Development League (Watford).
The Blues’ team lined up as per the team-sheet below, the feature image being of 16 year old talented winger, Wales Under 19 international, Shea Pita:
A very scrappy start did not bode well for either team as Everton struggled to get to grips with a physically-big Watford side. However, there were some signs of life after some neat combination play by Harvey Foster, Luca Davis, Malik Olayiwola and Shea Pita threatened to open up the Hornets’ defence.
That all changed in the 18th minute as Odin Samuels-Smith, playing as an inverted left back and Olayiwola carried the ball forward from deep and played it in towards Braiden Graham. His first touch to move it onto his left foot upset the balance of the two covering Watford defenders and he rifled it low with his left foot (below), a fine goal, 1-0
What a hit that is! 😮💨Braiden Graham gives #EFCU21 the lead against Watford at Walton Hall Park. 🔵 pic.twitter.com/oaboGCWzMX
That fine goal put the Toffees into the ascendency but the 2nd goal 4 minutes later was as ugly as the first had been beautiful. A Watford defender, under just a little pressure from Graham, hit a back-pass from fully 45 yards not realising his goalkeeper was near the edge of the area, an embarrassing goal, 2-0.
It stayed that way into the second half when an untidy attempt at a clearance by Olaywiola, defending his near post at a corner, allowed an easy tap in for a Watford attacker, 2-1.
In the 50th minute, Watford were right back in it as the Blues struggled to clear their area following an attack down the right. A shot went in at the near post though a crowded area to make it all square at 2-2.
Graham continued to look lively and a snapshot from 40 yards kept the goalkeeper awake but it drifted wide.
The game went into extra time and the Blues pressed against the tiring Hornets and looked most likely to snatch it. The raft of substitutions made by Paul Tait had breathed fresh life into his side.
Graham (twice), Davis and Omari Benjamin all went close before, just as it looked like penalties, the Blues snatched a goal at the very death and what a goal!!
A swift attack saw the ball land at the feet of substitute Kingsford Boakye and his cross was met with a text-book diving header from, who else, Braiden Graham (see below):
Braiden Graham's 120th-minute winner for #EFCU21! 💥 pic.twitter.com/a8nl9Wh3HG
That was Braiden Graham’s 20th goal of the season or to put it another way, a third of all Under 21s goals scored this season or ….. to put it another way …. just what has he got to do to convince David Moyes just to give him a small chance, off the bench or whatever? It’s actually Graham’s 24th of the season as he scored 4 in the Youth Cup though that’s an U18 competition really.
Meanwhile, last weekend had seen the younger group, the U18s grab a nice 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Finch Farm. Some relentless pressure paying dividends with Malik Olayiwola scoring the first from left-back Harvey Billington’s fine cutback.
Olayiwola was in the thick of it for the second as his pressure released Ceiran Loney to the left of the penalty area. His cross was met by the inrushing Shea Pita to make it 2-0.
Wolves did pull one back as a shot from the edge of the area was too hot to handle for Blues’ ‘keeper Seve Patrick, 2-1 is how it ended. The goals are below:
Three points at Finch Farm! 🤩Watch highlights from Saturday’s 2-1 victory for our Under-18s. ⬇️⏯️ pic.twitter.com/jbCG1p8nDQ
One more for the fine goals collection was from a game involving Everton Under 16s in a competition in Greece. Jonathan Nsangou scored right from the halfway-line!
LONG-RANGE STUNNER! 🤯Everton Academy forward Jonathan Nsangou scored this spectacular halfway-line goal for our Under-16s at the Cup of Rhodes Knights in Greece. 👏 pic.twitter.com/WNshEXzEiX