U23s edge Leicester at Goodison

Monday, 20 August, 2018 27comments  |  Jump to most recent
Everton's Under-23s faced Leicester City at Goodison Park this evening with new goalkeeping acquisition, Joao Virginia in the starting XI and Bassala Sambou getting the winner.

David Unsworth named Tyias Browning captain and deployed two more players with first-team experience in his back line in the form of Brendan Galloway and Matthew Pennington.

The Foxes' second string had the better of the first half but it was goalless at the interval.

Everton came out from half-time and scored early, however. Sambou exchanged passes with Williams and struck home the midfielder's pass in the 48th minute.

Everton: Virginia, Markelo, Browning, Pennington, Galloway, Joe Williams, Evans, Charsley, Broadhead, Hornby (69' Adeniran), Sambou (84' Foulds).

Subs not Used: Hilton, Bowler, Gordon

 

Reader Comments (27)

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Michael Kenrick
1 Posted 20/08/2018 at 20:33:09
Andy Finigan
2 Posted 20/08/2018 at 20:59:58
I think it's good that they are getting to play at Goodison Park. Good luck.
Joe McMahon
3 Posted 20/08/2018 at 21:02:20
Wish I had a crystal ball. I'd like to know how many of the starting 11 have a future at Everton or even on the Premier League.

As an aside, I wish Unsworth would leave his cushy number and go managing in the Football League. The experience is beneficial if he really does want to be a manager.

Neil Copeland
4 Posted 20/08/2018 at 21:03:01
In another game tonight, is that bird shit on the front of the RS shirts?
Kevin Prytherch
5 Posted 20/08/2018 at 21:36:22
With a defence and goalkeeper like that, this should just be a chance for the midfield and attack to showcase their talents.

Surely not many Under 23 teams should be able to get the better of Pennington, Browning and Galloway. It also highlights how their careers need to move on as their ship has obviously sailed at Everton.

Mike Allison
6 Posted 20/08/2018 at 22:13:44
So numbers 1-6 are obviously a back 5 and holding midfielder, 9 Hornby is a centre forward, can anyone tell me what types of players Evans, Charsley, Sambou and Broadhead are?

I think Sambou is an out and out striker (isn’t he the one we signed from Coventry?), so is that line-up a straightforward 4-4-2? Is Charsley a centre mid and Broadhead and Evans play wide? Anyone seen them play?

Leicester had Andy King in their line-up by the way.

John Williams
7 Posted 20/08/2018 at 22:17:08
Leicester fielded an even more experienced side than us with 8 players who had appeared for their 1st team in pre-season games. They also included a £13m summer signing, Benkovic, who has played in the Champions League.

According to Phil Kirkbride in the Echo, Pennington and Joe Williams were "excellent". He also reported that Marcel Brands, Joao Pedro (Silva's assistant) and the Goalkeeping coach Olivera were present.

I think that Joe Williams has a good chance of joining the likes of Kenny and Dowell on the fringes of the first team this season.
Steve Ferns
8 Posted 21/08/2018 at 02:20:35
What about Anthony Evans? He's an attacking midfielder who can play wide. Quick and good at dribbling with vision for the pass. Silva was impressed with him in the summer and took him to Austria.

Anthony Gordon is 17/18 and new to the U23s but he was the star man in the U18s, not just for us but the whole league. He's another in the Evans mould only he scores shedloads too.

Karl Masters
9 Posted 21/08/2018 at 06:14:03
We paid millions to get Josh Bowler from QPR, yet he can only be an unused sub for the U23s. Not knocking him, maybe he's been injured or something, but what's going on there?
Simon Smith
10 Posted 21/08/2018 at 06:43:21
In the Echo Undsworth reserved special praise for Virginia who we signed recently from Arsenal.

He said he had never witnessed that type of performance at that level of football and also went on to say the kid got a standing ovation on entering the changing room from his teammates.

I read a few things from Arsenal fans on news now when we signed him and they claimed he would be our Number One if Pickford moves on in a year or two as they rated him extremely highly.

John Williams
11 Posted 21/08/2018 at 10:14:16
Mike @6. I didn't see last night's game (I don't think many did, there was little or no pre-match publicity from the club and no live stream) but I have seen a lot of the U23s over the past couple of seasons, mostly very enjoyable. Unsworth plays basically a 4-4-2 formation but with flexibility. His teams are well-drilled and very hardworking.

Of the 4 players you name, currently Evans looks the most promising to me (and is the youngest of the four), usually playing right midfield, very skilful and scores some really good goals both from open play and freekicks.

Sambou generally disappoints me, doesn't score enough and I don't think has kicked on sufficiently from his early promise to be anywhere near the 1st team. I believe his contract is up at the end of the season by when he will be 21 and I would be surprised if he gets another deal.

Charsley is going on 22 and has rather been left behind by his contemporaries such as Kenny and Dowell. He is a real grafter, can play across midfield and at full-back and scores quite a few goals. His loan spell at Bolton last season doesn't seem to have gone well – he didn't get much first team game time.

I've seen less of Broadhead, he usually plays wide left and is quick and skilful. I believe he scored a lot of goals in the younger age teams so he may have played then more as a central striker. As an aside, he is mentioned briefly in Rob Sawyers biography of T G Jones, his grandfather played under TG at Bangor City.

Missing from last night's squad were my two current favourites, Feeney and Gibson. Feeney had surgery during the summer, I hope it doesn't stall his progress. Gibson is similar in respect of loving defending and relishing a tackle, he looks like a real footballer to me.

David Cash
12 Posted 21/08/2018 at 10:40:14
Sounds daft after the World Cup he's just had, but Pickford needs to be looking over his shoulder. Good show from Unsy's charges. They were no mugs.
Stephen Brown
13 Posted 21/08/2018 at 11:17:08
Kevin #5

You make an interesting point about Galloway, Browning and Pennington. Surely they have no future at the club and seem a little long in the tooth for U23 action.

They all seem like decent pros but they are currently having a pretty pointless career probably picking up £10k a week each!?!

Simon Smith
14 Posted 21/08/2018 at 15:19:40
Browning £2.5m, Galloway and Pennington maybe closer to £3m.

Isn't that £8/9m lost plus wagers, and somewhat of a barricade for some other young lads who need that valuable U23 experience.

Time to move them on, I think.

Also worth noting Bowler was an unused sub even after all his hype!

Mike Gaynes
15 Posted 21/08/2018 at 15:36:53
Could it be that this runout was a test drive for Sambou, Pennington, Browning and Galloway? What you guys would call the shop window? Lower division sides in need could be looking for still-young, well-coached players. Incidentally, Pennington just signed a new three-year contract in May.

Simon, good shout on Rhino's comments about Virginia.

Mike Allison
16 Posted 21/08/2018 at 17:13:27
Thanks John, 11, it’s nice to get your perspective on that.

With us saying we’ve appointed Silva to work with young players then going out and buying seven overseas players for the first team squad it’s difficult to know what to expect of our youngsters over the next year or so.

I’m one of those that always enjoys a result more when we have ‘our own’ in the first team.

Jay Harris
17 Posted 21/08/2018 at 17:47:56
Mike,
They are all "our own" now we are a multicultural society but I get your drift.

If we are going to develop a first team feeder academy we need to cast our net globally. It is only once in a blue moon you get a "Wayne Rooney" and 90% never make it to the top for whatever reason.

Peter Gorman
20 Posted 21/08/2018 at 18:14:37
"They are all "our own" now we are a multicultural society but I get your drift."

You might have got the wrong end of the stick there, Jay – I think being one of "our own" means simply Scouse. Even better if a boyhood blue to boot. Don't know what multiculturalism has to do with it.

Terry Farrell
21 Posted 21/08/2018 at 20:13:50
Nathan Broadhead's roots are from Speke and his grandad Tony was a very accomplished player and a blue.
John Raftery
22 Posted 21/08/2018 at 22:15:49
Joe (3) I guess Unsworth is on far more money as a Premier League Under 23 coach than the vast majority of managers in the Football League. He will know the chances of keeping a job in the Football League beyond 18 months are remote. He will also know that, once sacked, most do not get a second chance.

I am not surprised he has decided to stay in his current job.

Simon Smith
23 Posted 22/08/2018 at 04:37:17
Any idea were Baningime is? Almost forgot all about him.

Also read a few reports that Joe Williams played very well during this game, that on the back of playing 38 games in the Championship for Barnsley last season.

Reports that Silva was very impressed with him during pre-season before the lad got injured.

Dave Abrahams
24 Posted 22/08/2018 at 14:03:59
Simon (23), yes Joe is well rated by Silva and wanted him to join the first team squad at the start of the season but Joe suffered an injury, thigh strain, which kept him out until recently.

This is according to today's Echo which also states that it is highly likely Joe will go on loan before the end of the transfer window with Birmingham, Bolton. Bristol City and Hull City interested in signing him, but Joe will come back for next season.

Steve Ferns
25 Posted 22/08/2018 at 14:17:51
Beni Baningime got injured in pre-season and is still injured with no return date. He suffered an ankle injury and was wearing a protective boot during the Austria trip. He then disappeared from both the first team and U23s.

Once he's fit enough, you'll see him pop back up in the U23s as he builds back to fitness. First-team players tend not to do this anymore, but Beni is so young that I'd be surprised if he doesn't.

Peter Gorman
26 Posted 22/08/2018 at 14:22:08
Thanks for the update, Steve – I'm looking forward to seeing Beni return soon (especially as he is 'one of our own') as I reckon he was one of maybe only a handful of players who could call last season a personal success. He took the transition from U23s in his stride and, if I'm not mistake, the poor kid's attitude and performance were held up by Unsy as an example to the clownish first team.

Michael Kenrick
27 Posted 22/08/2018 at 14:28:38
Simon,

Beni Baningime is out with an ankle injury. He has missed the whole of pre-season.

I think he's another (with Kenny) who's graduated to the senior squad. He only played in three U23 games since the New Year as he was bedding in with them.

Michael Kenrick
28 Posted 22/08/2018 at 17:16:09
Seems Alex Denny is also out injured for the U23s.

He does not indicate (on Twatter) the nature nor severity of his injury, and he's not listed at PhysioRoom.com, but it sounds like it happened early in pre-season. Any inside word on this from Steve or Dave?

Phill Thompson
29 Posted 22/08/2018 at 21:54:46
Much of the game was shown by Leicester, I missed a bit where stream was lost on second half.

Virginia was pretty competent, Joe Williams had a good game and we looked a lot better in the second half.

Sambou had a decent second half, he's filled out a bit maybe he'll start to develop into the player he promised to be when we signed him. Markelo had a good game too.


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