Everton Under-21s Fall to Stockport in EFL Trophy Thriller

Everton Under-21s produced a stirring fightback from three goals down, only to be blown away again in a chaotic 6-3 defeat to Stockport County in their opening EFL Trophy Northern Section Group E tie at Edgeley Park.

On a night that swung from shambolic to thrilling and back again, one constant emerged: Braiden Graham. The Northern Ireland youngster walked off with a 9/10 display and three goal involvements, yet still ended up on the wrong side of a rout.

County ring the changes, but still too strong

New Stockport boss Jimmy McNulty, once of Everton’s academy, ripped up his weekend XI and made 11 changes from the side that beat Plymouth Argyle 3-1 in League One. The fresh-look Hatters still dominated, pinning David Hughes’ young Blues deep and punishing every mistake.

The opener summed up Everton’s early uncertainty. On 11 minutes, with blue shirts hesitating and waiting for an offside flag that never arrived, Callum Camps slid a pass into Malik Mothersille. The former Chelsea forward, who had a trial with Everton’s Under-21s last year before joining Peterborough United, squeezed his shot past George Pickford. The goalkeeper got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out. First warning ignored.

Stockport then turned the screw just before half-time. Everton tried to play out from the back, but captain William Tamen was caught in possession and Camps was handed a simple finish. Damage done.

The final act of the half hurt even more. Jason Adigun slipped the ball through Tamen’s legs, drove into the box and squared for Mika Mandron to score. Three-nil at the break, and Everton’s back line looked shell-shocked.

Everton roar back – and Graham takes over

Whatever Hughes said at half-time jolted his side into life. Everton suddenly played with purpose, and Graham dragged them back into the contest almost single-handedly.

On 51 minutes, operating wide on the right, he whipped in a clever cross that picked out Joel Catesby. The Birkenhead-born forward, who suffered a broken leg in this competition at Bradford last October, finished calmly. A cathartic moment, and a lifeline.

Three minutes later, belief surged. Melvin Matos drove into the area and was chopped down by Owen Moxon. Graham grabbed the ball, waited for Lucas Ashby-Hammond to commit, and rolled his penalty to the keeper’s right as the Stockport man dived the other way. 3-2. Game back on.

Everton suddenly looked fearless. They pressed higher, passed with more conviction and forced Stockport backwards. The equaliser, when it came on 77 minutes, felt inevitable and spectacular.

Graham again. Collecting the ball on the edge of the area, he curled an outstanding effort beyond Ashby-Hammond to complete a remarkable personal performance and, briefly, a remarkable comeback. From 3-0 down to 3-3, the away end believed something special was brewing.

Collapse follows comeback

It lasted a minute.

Almost straight from the restart, substitute Tayo Edun arrived at the back post and drilled Stockport back in front. Everton barely had time to reset before they were cut open again.

Another 60 seconds, another punch to the gut. Mothersille, lively all night, found space and slid in a composed low finish for his second. From level to 5-3 down in the blink of an eye, the young Blues’ resistance snapped.

In stoppage time, Mothersille completed his hat-trick to seal the rout and underline the gulf in ruthlessness. Everton’s comeback had flickered, then vanished.

Everton U21 player ratings

• George Pickford – 5
  Produced decent stops from Adigun and Mandron but conceded six and will replay the first goal in his mind, having got a hand to Mothersille’s shot. One miscued kick also cannoned into Mandron to deepen a difficult night.
• George Finney – 5
  The teenager, who has already sampled senior football at Ayr United, battled but was exposed. Not the answer to any first-team right-back debate yet, and this showed why he still has plenty to learn.
• William Tamen – 4
  A bruising evening for the captain. Robbed in the build-up to Stockport’s second and nutmegged by Adigun before the third, after earlier gifting possession to Ryan Rydel. Helped Tranmere stay in the EFL last season, but this was a step backwards.
• Luis Gardner – 5
  Never fully in sync with Tamen during a ragged first half. Avoided the glaring errors his partner made, but one wildly overhit diagonal summed up a disjointed display.
• Joshua Van Schoor – 5
  Pinned deep for long spells and rarely able to offer the forward bursts he has shown recently. Booked for a challenge on Mothersille that had home fans baying for a red.
• Harvey Foster – 5
  Recently on the high of scoring for the first team in the 4-0 win at Dundee, he spent much of this night chasing shadows as Stockport overran the midfield.
• Harry Brookes – 5
  Struggled to stem the tide as Everton were swamped in the middle before the break. Stayed on long enough to be part of the early second-half revival, but was the first player withdrawn.
• Braiden Graham – 9
  Outstanding. Switched to the right flank and lit up the game. Created Catesby’s goal with a precise cross, buried his penalty with authority and then curled in a superb equaliser from the edge of the box. On a chaotic night, he looked a level above.
• Melvin Matos – 7
  Involved from the first whistle. Suffered a head knock and returned bandaged and in a blank shirt after his original top was bloodied. Threw himself into challenges, clattered Arttu Hoskonen, drew a foul from Lewis Fiorini and then won the penalty after Moxon brought him down.
• Joel Catesby – 8
  A special moment for the local forward. Back in this competition after last year’s horror injury at Bradford, he marked it with an assured finish from Graham’s pass. His movement and composure were a bright spot.
• Ceiran Loney – 5
  Endured a frustrating evening. Went one-on-one with Ashby-Hammond but lacked conviction as the keeper smothered, then failed to find the angle after being set up by Justin Clarke.

Substitutes

• Jack Patterson (on 57 for Harry Brookes) – 6
  Injected energy and legs in midfield for the final half-hour, helping Everton’s brief surge.
• Justin Clarke (on 70 for Joel Catesby) – 7
  Lively cameo. Crafted a clear chance for Loney and looked sharp in the final third.
• Aled Thomas (on 83 for Luis Gardner)
  Introduced just before Stockport’s fifth. Too late to influence the contest.
• Omari Benjamin (on 83 for Melvin Matos)
  Arrived with the game slipping away and had little opportunity to make an impact.
• Jonathan Nsangou (on 83 for Ceiran Loney)
  Another late change as Everton chased shadows rather than goals.

Everton’s youngsters leave Edgeley Park with a harsh lesson: in senior football, even at under-21 level, comebacks count for nothing if you can’t hold your nerve once you’ve made them.