[History of Everton Reserves]
Everton's Under-21s largely represent the end product of the once renowned Everton Academy at Finch Farm which is a Category A Elite Development entity under the current Premier League/FA rules and has produced a number of lower-league players who have proved unable to break into the Blues' first team. Since 2016, they play in the FA Premier League 2, which adopts a new format for the 2023-24 season.
As well as the U21s competing in the Premier League Cup and the Premier League International Cup, Everton are also one of the Premier League Development sides that enter U21 teams into the Papa John's (ne EFL) Trophy against the senior sides from Football League One and League Two.
Everton Under-21s will split their home matches between the 'Pure' Stadium at Haig Avenue in Southport and Goodison Park this season, with some games also being played at Walton Hall Park.
Everton's games in the 2023-24 Liverpool Senior Cup and Lancashire Senior Cup are contested by the Under-18s, together with the FA Youth Cup too.
F denotes Friendly fixture TF denotes Friendly tournament fixture XI denotes Friendly fixture involving an Everton XI (not necessarily the first team)PL2 denotes Premier League 2 fixtures PLC denotes Premier League Cup fixturesPLIC denotes Premier League International Cup fixturesPJT denotes EFL Trophy fixtures
FA PREMIER LEAGUE 2, 2023-24
The section below contains team details, scorers, and brief match reports for Everton Under-21 matches during the 2023-24 Season.
Starting in 2017-18, the U21 Premier League (which itself replaced the old Reserves league that stretched back to an age that pre-dated the formation of the Football League in 1888) was renamed Premier League 2. The latest changes for the new season see teams from the newly constituted 20-team PL2 only play each other once, either at home or away, based on a complicated draw. The top 16 teams go forward to a playoff stage, with the winner determined in the playoff final. There is no relegation from PL 2. Each team can field a goalkeeper over the age limit and up to three ‘over-age’ outfield players in every match.
The Average Age of PL2 squads in the 2023-24 season, as listed at Transfermarkt were:
Premier League 2; Game #1 Monday 14 August 2023 Liverpool Academy, Kirkby
Everton U21s opened the newly configured Premier League 2 season with a short trip to Kirkby where they suffered a heavy defeat to Liverpool U21s tonight.
The match kicked off at 7 pm and is set to be the only mini-derby encounter of the season unless they meet in the PL2 playoffs or in the Premier League Cup.
Paul Tait has not had all of his squad to work with over the summer months, with some players training with Sean Dyche’s Senior Team while Stanley Mills, Reece Welch, Lewis Warrington, Harry Tryer and Zan-Luk Leban have all secured loan spells for the 2023-24 season.
Tonight was the first game of highly-rated young striker Malik Mothersille. He came on as a sub for Matthew Apter, with Everton trailing by 2 goals after the break.
The match ended with the home side scoring another two goals and inflicting a heavy defeat with all three Everton teams losing their first games of the new season.
Everton U21s: Crellin, Dixon, Butler (71' Maher), Moonan, Samuels-Smith, Metcalfe, Heath [Y:57'] (66' Djankpata), Paterson (56' Bates), Okoronkwo [Y:69'], Apter [Y:45+4'] (66' Mothersille), Kouyate. Subs not Used: Barrett.
Premier League 2; Game #2 Friday 18 August 2023Heritage Park, Stockton-on-Tees
Everton U21s travel to Teeside tonight to take on Middlesbrough in their second game of the new Premier League 2 season: kick-off at 7 pm.
A substantial number of U21 players listed by the club did not participate in last week's heavy defeat by Liverpool, which saw a relatively young squad put to the sword. It is possible that a number of these are being lined up for loan moves that will further deplete the resources available to Paul Tait.
Chelsea triallist Malik Mothersille is once again in the squad but only starts on the bench again after coming on as a sub in the mini-derby to defeat to Liverpool on Monday evening.
After going behind to two goals in the first half, Everton fought to get back into the match, pulling a goal back when Metcalfe found Okoronkwo who glanced home his header.
Mothersille replaced Jack Butler before Mackenzie Hunt equalized for Everton in added time.
Everton: Barrett, Dixon, Hunt, Astley, Moonan, Metcalfe, Djankpata [Y:56'] (58' Heath), Apter [Y:23'], Okoronkwo, Kouyate, Butler (74' Mothersille).Subs not Used: Graham, O Samuels-Smith, J Patterson.
Premier League 2; Game #3 Friday 25 August 2023 Haig Avenue, Southport
Despite dominating possession in the first half, Everton fell behind after a poor clearance was punished 5 minutes before the break. But they went further behind 5 minutes after the break.
The Chelsea trialist Malik Mothersille again came off the bench in the second half. But two more goals conceded after he came on underlined a dismal first home game of what is already looking like a difficult season for Paul Tai's youngsters.
Everton U21s: Barrett, Dixon, Hunt, Moonan, Astley, Butterfield (48' Apter), Heath [Y:26'], Metcalfe [Y:90+2'], Okoronkwo, Djankpata [Y:2'] (65' Mothersille), Kouyate (84' J Paterson).Subs not Used: Graham, Butler.
Premier League 2; Game #4 Friday 1 September 2023 Rush Green Stadium, Romford
No Malik Mothersille in the squad tonight – the trialist from Chelsea will not be signing for Everton – and only four players on the bench.
Everton took the lead after just 7 minutes through Katia Kouyate, his first goal of the season.
But three goals for the home side did for the Young Blues in the end after Ryan Astley was shown a second yellow card.
Everton U21s: Crellin, Dixon, Moonan [Y:51'], Butler (81' O Samuels-Smith), Astley [Y:38';YR:66'], Hunt, Butterfield (73' Apter), Metcalfe, Okoronkwo, Kouyate (65' Djankpata [Y:69']), Heath.Subs not Used: Barrett.
2014-15 saw the introduction of The Premier League International Cup. The tournament was cancelled last season because of the Covid-19 Pandemic and did not take place this season.
The 2021-22 Premier League Cup is the eighth campaign of the knockout cup competition following the launch of EPPP. Everton are the defending champions after the tournament was cancelled in 2019-20 and spent 2020-21 on hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Premier League Cup is contested initially in 4-team groups of Category A Development sides, playing home and away. The top two teams from each of the eight groups progress to the knockout stages, with one-off ties from the last 16 through to the final to determine the champions. Everton U21s were drawn against Burnley, Peterborough and Sheffield United in Group D of the Premier League Cup for 2021-22.
Premier League Cup; Group D, Game #1 Friday 17 September 2021 Haig Avenue, Southport
David Unsworth's side started well and scored in the 9th minute when Rhys Hughes delivered a corner from the right and Lewis Dobbin reacted quickly to flick the ball into the net at the near post for his first competitive goal for the Under-21s.
But this enlivened the visitors who would go on to score two goals in the first half and add a third right after the break.
Everton U23s: Leban, Mallon, Hunt [Y:78'], Astley, Welch, Anderson, Hughes, Warrington, Dobbin, McAllister, Cannon. Subs not Used: Barrett, Butterfield, Price, Whitaker, Campbell.
Everton U21s were drawn against Burton Albion (League One) with Doncaster Rovers and Mansfield Town (League Two) in North Group H of the EFL Trophy for 2023-24.
EFL Trophy; Group H, Game #1 Tuesday 19 September 2023 Mazuma Stadium, Morecambe
Paul Tait gave an indication that Eli Campbell would be back in for the first time this season after returning from injury.
It was boys against men but Everton held their own for most of the first half, suffering a few scares. They gave away a soft goal in the second half when the ball screwed off Moonan's foot into the path of a Doncaster forward. Before the end, the Blues were cut apart on a short-corner routine for Doncaster's second goal.
Everton U21s: Crellin, Dixon, Moonan, Campbell (70' Apter), Hunt, Butterfield (70' Bates), Kouyate, Heath (61' J Patterson), Djankpata (70' Butler), Metcalfe, Okoronkwo (61' Sherif).Subs not Used: Barrett, O Samuels-Smith.
Pre-season friendly; Game #1 Tuesday 13 July 2021 Finch Farm
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