SportPesa cup game set for November

They were promised a summer game so it’s a bit unfair on them that they are now bumped to a midweek game on a cold winter’s evening. Still they get to play under the lights and I bet plenty of us will be there to make their day.

I understand why it was bumped too. We needed a better standard of opposition. Next time we need to organise this as the first game of the preseason. It’s a good idea and it establishes our reputation in that part of Africa.

Quite some years ago (49?) it was mentioned in a match day programme that an African team wrote to Everton asking for any old gear, shirts, balls nets etc and the reply was that Everton didn't do this sort of thing. At the same time, Shankly was running a Sunday League team out of his own pocket and they would send old gear to such requests.

We now have EitC but this game still seems to be treated with some lack of respect and should have been somewhere in the preseason fixtures between Austrian amateurs and Bury or will they now, in November, face those who couldn't be loaned out nor moved on.

Alan it comes between two weekend Premier League games, you can be sure we’ll put out a reserve side. Imagine an over-enthusiastic challenge breaking Richarlison’s leg, no way would we risk him.

We do at least seem to agree, Steve, that this is not the best time to hold this game and I did intimate that it wouldn't be our first team that would be playing. I just think that as this is not the first year for such a fixture and seems to be at a sponsors request that it should have been fitted in a preseason when there was a late inclusion, Rennes(?) at a small almost parks standard ground, and other games against less than top level opposition.

I get the feeling this was originally scheduled late in pre-season but Silva vetoed it on the basis that it wasn't what we needed. No evidence for this but just my speculation. Hopefully it will be better planned next year.