Everton U21s win friendly at Southport this afternoon

Mills was superb. Warringtom very solid and incisive from midfield.

I still can't see why we hang on to Cannon. Slow, poor ball control, doesn't throw his weight around. He had a breakaway chance and cut back, losing his chance; Mills had the same sort of breakaway chance, went direct for goal and scored. Having said that Cannon did slot one in! - from superb work by Mills again!

Appalling PA who raced through the team announcements (and for second half substitutions simply said "all the Everton subs have come on except..." and afraid I missed what name she then gave. Appalling. How did the non-sub feel?!

Not sure but I think first half we played:
keeper I'm not sure at all: John, Hunt (?), Welch, Campbell (?), Warrington, Mills, Butterfield, Cannon, Whitaker, Price.

Sub on the left wing was very tricky - Kouyate? - led the full back a merry dance. I recognised McAllister as a sub, and Anderson. Also Quirk right mid? Higgins at RB?? Jagne at LB?

Good if it was Kouyate as we haven't seen much of him, yet he's retained on the books.

I just don't get the club's attitude on this stuff. I'm sure there's a fair number of us who want to know the names of all the players and all the subs. It's natural.

About the only thing I can remember from my first game is looking at the names in the middle of the old programme. Then transcribing them onto my school bag... and jumping on the cross-bars of Uncle Cyril's bike – no wait, sorry. Getting seriously confused there...

Mills really has come on a lot in the last 12 months. I thought he was a bit behind the group of Welch, Warrington, Price and Whitaker - but he might now have edged ahead of them all.

I wonder if that sub at left-back was Ishe Samuels-Smith, a more natural as a left-back than Jagne, a midfielder.

Kouyate had a significant injury last season, so nice to see him back if it was him. Okoronkwo is the other option who often plays on the left, but more tall and powerful than tricky.

Usually, if we don't find out on the day, we never find out... what a club, eh?

I was really pleased to see the effort and commitment from the youngsters when they were given an opportunity to play in the friendlies. Mills in particular looks to have the talent to make it to the first team squad.

If supporters give these youngsters real encouragement instead of leaping on the inevitable mistakes, then our days of paying over-the-top transfer fees and wages for players of dubious quality and commitment could be coming to an end.

FFP and sustainability rules ensure that clubs outside of the Sky 6 will never be allowed to compete in the transfer market for top players, so the only way to break up the ESL cartel is to develop our own players – and prevent the Sky 6 from poaching the best of them as soon as they turn 17.

I'm really hopeful that from now on our bench always has at least one, preferably two of our youngsters on it, so we can finally close the Finch Farm retirement home and geriatric care wing.

We did pay quite a lot of money for him when he eventually joined from Sunderland. I think it was quite a while before he turned out for Everton after signing.

Okoronkwo was another who suffered an injury at the end of the season. It's frustrating that we never really get info from an official source, but I'm pretty sure that was the reason he didn't feature.

Brian Wilkinson was telling me about Mills, and what a good prospect he his.

I was hoping the club might put the matches on their website, but if not, it's not too far up to Southport. Just a point I wonder if they'll play in the afternoons, come the early nights?