Toffees' sweet results for Tait and Baines as Everton youth teams revel

10/30/2024 04:00 AM

Under 21s and 18s victorious last weekend

Things are definitely looking up for Everton at youth levels. The Under 21s played their 11th competitive fixture last weekend and have scored a healthy 24 goals while conceding a decidedly unhealthy 26. Five wins out of 11 is pretty impressive though, a win rate of 45% is something the first team can only dream about currently!

The "Derby" last Saturday saw a strong attacking line-up with recent first team squad member Roman Dixon at right back and summer recruit from Arsenal's Academy, Omari Benjamin, leading the line.

It was perhaps a more even contest than the scoreline suggests and the second "gifted" goal was indeed very late into added time. Gifts have got to be accepted nevertheless and when offered by your neighbours it would be rude not to!

The result was 2-0 to the Blues and the goals are below. Watch for some neat acrobatics in the celebration by Benjamin! That's 5 for the season for him now and he's clearly revelling in a more natural central role in the absence of Martin Sherif.

Under 21s head coach Paul Tait was naturally delighted after the win against Liverpool:

"It is a fantastic win, the lads are absolutely buzzing in the changing room! I am so pleased for them.

"We have been shipping too many goals recently. We have been playing really well but we have just let too many goals in. Today, to come to Liverpool and get the clean sheet is a testimony to the work that we have put in in training over the last couple of weeks. They carried it out today and were fantastic, every single one of them."

As well as the goalscorer and headline-grabber Benjamin, Tait had nice words to say about our Slovenian goalkeeper Zan Luk Leban:

"Zan was excellent, he is an excellent goalkeeper, we are lucky to have him. He is in and around supporting the first-team so he has not gone out on loan. We are lucky to get him for the odd game, he is a fantastic lad and we all love him. He had a great game today, he made some really good saves."

Final words were naturally for Benjamin though Tait was keen to applaud the team effort:

"He will grab the headlines, the two goals are really good for him. Playing as a nine through the middle for us, his work rate again was outstanding and he got his rewards.

"Honourable mentions are him and Zan, but for me it was a real team effort today. The units, the way the worked together, I am really proud of the players."

Meanwhile, after a recent 3-2 victory over Newcastle United Under 18s, Leighton Baines' Under 18s had a further pleasing 3-1 result on the road against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and some names are beginning to stand out amongst the goalscorers. Hotshot Braiden Graham was on the scoresheet for his 6th of the season against Blackburn whilst another name just coming to the fore now is Justin Clarke who only signed for the Toffees in mid-September, having previously been at Wimbledon's Under 18s. He bagged his third goal in the 2 games he's played in, not bad for an attacking midfielder!

The previous game Clarke played in (his first) against Newcastle saw what a talent he might turn out to be. He's tall, powerful and two-footed and a real threat as you can see in the video link below:

Both the Under 21s and Under 18s were to be in action again on Tuesday October 29th and I hope I'm not cursing them when I predict there will be no goalless draws! Keep up the entertainment and progress!