Chris Beesley assesses the six players that turned out for Everton in both their FA Youth Cup and Premier League International Cup quarter-final ties over the past week
The six players that turned out for Everton in both their FA Youth Cup and Premier League International Cup quarter-final ties
The six players that turned out for Everton in both their FA Youth Cup and Premier League International Cup quarter-final ties
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Everton’s academy sides have had a brace of cup ties over the past week but despite exiting both competitions, the matches have been a valuable learning curve for the Blues’ young prospects.
Firstly, last Friday, Keith Southern’s Under-18s went to the Joie Stadium to face Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Youth Cup. Everton went toe-to-toe with their hosts for almost an hour, but things went downhill quickly for the visitors after referee Richie Watkins awarded a controversial penalty following Ademide Akarakiri’s challenge on Floyd Samba when the Blues player appeared to win the ball.
Samba recovered quickly enough to convert the spot-kick himself and despite their stern resistance up until that point, the frustrated Blues had Malik Olayiwola sent off soon afterwards. With their opponents reduced to 10 men, City took control, adding a second goal through Reigan Heskey before substitute Teddy Lamb added a third.
Southern told the ECHO: “We were absolutely more than a match for Manchester City until the penalty decision. We were well in the game and I thought we gave a really good account of ourselves, we went toe-to-toe with City until that decision.
“I think it was a poor decision. I think we were let down in that regard, it was quite cruel. We then had the double whammy of a player not responding in the right fashion has also hurt us by him being sent off the pitch.”
Paul Tait’s Under-21 also paid the penalty against Borussia Dortmund in their Premier League international Cup quarter-final at Walton Hall Park. This time there were no complaints after Aled Thomas’ challenge on Osumane Diallo in the 57th minute saw visiting captain Tony Reitz convert from the spot before Almugera Kabar sealed the German side’s progress to the last four with a low drive in stoppage time.
Tait told the ECHO: “I’m disappointed with the result but not the performance. I thought it was a really good, high-level youth game.
“Both teams were going at it, not sitting in or banking up, both teams were pressing which forced the opposition to try and play through that press. There was some really good defending, some good set-plays, I thought it had a little bit of everything, a real good high-level game.”
In total there were six players who turned out in both ties, here’s a look at how they got on.
Douglass Lukjanciks, goalkeeper
Everton haven’t had a homegrown keeper make it through the ranks to the first team since the late Andy Rankin who saved against Borussia Monchengladbach to give the Blues victory in the first penalty shoot-out in a UEFA competition but left the club some 55 years ago. With Harry Tyrer’s move to Cardiff City in January – he still hasn’t played for the Welsh side – and George Pickford’s loan to Southport, Lukjanciks has been getting regular game time.
The 18-year-old was born in Latvia but raised in Southport, and having joined Everton as an Under-12, he has represented England at Under-16s, U17 and U18 level. He produced a string of smart saves in both cup ties and was the Blues’ highest scorer for player ratings, getting a mark of 8 in each match.
Ceiran Loney, striker
Making his professional debut on the final day of the 2023/24 Scottish Championship season as a substitute against champions Dundee United, Loney became the youngest first team player in Partick Thistle’s history before joining Everton that summer for an undisclosed fee after training with both the Blues and Brighton & Hove Albion earlier that year.
Everton’s academy has produced plenty of strikers over the years such as Michael Branch, Francis Jeffers, Danny Cadamarteri, Wayne Rooney, Victor Anichebe plus more recently Ellis Simms and Tom Cannon. However, on recent showings, despite offering a physical presence up front, 18-year-old Loney still has a long way to go before he develops into a latter-day incarnation of fellow Glaswegians Graeme Sharp and Andy Gray up front for the Blues as he had quiet outings in both matches and only one clear-cut chance of note.
Ademide Akarakiri, midfielder
The 17-year-old Londoner caught the eye for the wrong reasons at Manchester City as it was his challenge – which looked perfectly fair in the eyes of many, including this correspondent – that resulted in Everton conceding a penalty. An attack-minded midfielder, who previously spent a decade in Arsenal’s academy, it was a great shame as he’d displayed some nice touches in the game and he put that setback behind him in the Dortmund game where he was involved in some nice combinations and kept asking questions of the visiting defence.
Braiden Graham, forward
Deployed on the left wing for both ties, the current golden boy of Everton’s academy failed to reproduce the magic that helped the Blues progress to their Manchester City showdown when he netted a spectacular last-gasp equaliser against Ipswich Town in the previous round at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Like Loney, he’s already experienced first team football in his home country before moving to Merseyside, at Linfield in Northern Ireland, but while you could see his threat in both ties when running with the ball, he was unable to get any serious opportunities to add to his goal tally.
His knack of knowing where the back of the net is makes him a valuable commodity though and both Southern and Tait have praised his attitude on and off the pitch with the latter telling the ECHO last week that he expects the 18-year-old – who has been named on David Moyes’ bench twice this season – to be in and around the first team squad by the start of next term and then potentially looking for a loan to get first team exposure in the Football League.
Malik Olayiwola, midfielder
It was the 17-year-old who spoke out of turn and got himself shown a straight red card at Manchester City shortly after Everton had fallen behind, leaving his team-mates facing an uphill struggle. As Southern admitted: “It’s hard enough with 11 when you come to a place like this, but when you go a goal down and a man down, it’s nigh on impossible.”
It was a shame because Olayiwola – who like Graham was named on the substitutes bench for Everton’s FA Cup third round tie with Sunderland – had been one of their most creative outlets in the first half. He looked lively when coming on against Dortmund and tested the keeper with a low drive but was denied by Silas Ostrzinski and then his deflected shot struck the post deep into additional time, suggesting he’s one to watch if he can keep his discipline.
Shea Pita, winger
Still only 16, Pita has been with Everton since October 2017, when Blues scouts spotted him playing for his home-town team Llandudno. With his dad hailing from Venezuela, he combines Welsh passion with South American flair and looked a busy, combative player down the flanks in both of his outings.
Against City, he worked well with Olayiwola to put in low cross for Loney and while things didn’t always come off for him, he kept battling on the right wing. Coming on as a substitute against Dortmund, he buzzed around in the latter stages, rattling the crossbar with a shot, but he really should have at least tested the keeper when finding himself with time and space at the back post only to hit his shot off target.
As one of the youngest members of the group, time is on his side though and he seems to possess the kind of fighting qualities that Evertonians love from their players. A certain other son of Llandudno was one of their all-time greats, playing more matches for the club and lifting more trophies than anyone else.