EXCLUSIVE: Stan Mills speaks to the ECHO about playing under Frank Lampard and Sean Dyche, his year-long injury battle and why January was the right time for him to leave Everton
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Stanley Mills dribbles the ball past Jacori Hayes of Minnesota United in the second half of an international friendly at Allianz Field in St Paul, Minnesota. Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Stanley Mills dribbles the ball past Jacori Hayes of Minnesota United in the second half of an international friendly at Allianz Field in St Paul, Minnesota. Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
His debut is a haze. There was the nod to the dugout, his number - 56 - being held up by the fourth official, those first few steps out onto the pitch in a Royal Blue shirt.
But for the most part, Stan Mills struggles to remember the specifics of one of the biggest nights of his life. The significance of the occasion has remained, however, the feeling he had reached a milestone in his fledgling career.
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"To be honest it's all a little bit of a blur", he said as he reflected on his second half appearance for Everton's first team at Fleetwood Town during the opening months of the 2022/23 campaign. "I mean... it's a dream come true to play for a club like Everton."
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It was the crowning moment of a remarkable summer. The club had ended the previous season with the heady celebrations of the dramatic comeback win over Crystal Palace that secured Premier League survival under Frank Lampard.
When the players returned from their summer break Mills, then 18, was preparing for a joint Under-18s and Under-21s pre-season training camp when a WhatsApp message changed his life. The teenager trying to focus on a trip to York was asked to pack his bags and join the first team on its US tour, where he would train just outside Washington DC and play games in Baltimore and St Paul.
It was a dramatic coming-of-age moment. Mills was thrust into the action late on against Arsenal at the Baltimore Ravens' NFL stadium and was at the centre of the game's flashpoint when he stood his ground during a fracas with Pablo Mari and Eddie Nketiah that ended when James Tarkowski barrelled over to back up his young teammate.
Looking back on a summer that turbocharged his development, he said: "It's crazy. That's the world of football. Everything can change overnight. I really, really enjoyed that tour in America. And to play the games that I did out there, to get the minutes I did, was really good for my experience.
"I think being in that environment you have to grow up quickly, otherwise you'll get found out a little bit. So I think just being around it every day just helped me develop as a person and be a bit more mature in maybe the way I carried myself."
Such was the excitement of that trip, it was only later that Mills realised the impact it had on him and his growth - as a person and as a player. The progress did not stop there, either. Lampard kept him in his thoughts when the team returned home and just weeks later Mills was on the pitch at Highbury in the Carabao Cup, ticking off another career milestone. He would go on to play in the next round, too, against Bournemouth, before Lampard took him to Australia for another globetrotting experience during the World Cup break of that November.
When Mills swapped Bondi Beach for a freezing night in Lincoln as the U21s went toe-to-toe with the Imps in the Papa John’s Trophy the following month it was clear that he, like teammate Tom Cannon, had matured beyond the academy.
A loan move was explored yet did not materialise the following January but, while Everton descended into crisis on and off the pitch and Lampard was replaced by Sean Dyche, Mills was able to gain valuable experience training with the first team - months of hard work that left him ready to take on the rigours of senior football week-in, week-out when Oxford United, then preparing for a season with Liam Manning, made a compelling pitch for his services in the summer.
Mills said: "That January, I was quite close to a loan move. I was trying to get senior games then but that fell through. Lampard got sacked and Dyche came in and obviously things changed then. But I think that season just made me grow so much as a person, I learnt to be a professional on and off the pitch and I'm very grateful for the experience. Then in the summer I felt like I needed to play games and that wasn't going to happen at Everton. I met with a few clubs, the manager at Oxford really convinced me it was the right place to be and I made that decision. It was a good decision."
Mills settled well at the Kassam, scoring once and setting up a further five goals in the opening months of the League One campaign. Then disaster struck in the FA Cup third round just days into the new year, his season ending when he was stretchered off against Coventry City with a knee injury.
The outlook was severe and Mills was tasked with a daunting fight to resume his career. A tough 12 months followed, but it was a period in which he impressed those around him, including his dad - former England international Danny Mills, with his resilience and determination through a dark period.
Both Everton and Oxford played a role in helping him through it. Mills returned to Finch Farm for his rehabilitation and said he was supported by players and staff highlighting, unsurprisingly, that club captain Seamus Coleman was a source of support. He also praised Dyche and his coaching team for maintaining their interest in his recovery, which ended in late January when he made his return for the U21s. Mills' impact was immediate as he earned a penalty, which he then converted, in a 1-0 win over Leeds United.
He said: "I can only be thankful to Everton for what they did for me throughout my time there. I moved there [from Leeds] when I was 15 and I made great memories there, I had some great times. I can do nothing but thank Everton. Especially the physios and the sports scientists that over the last year have helped me. I can never be thankful enough to them. 2024 was a tough year for me. I got 45 minutes all year, which wasn't how I expected it to go. The club helped me through that really well, the support team around me was really good and I'm back doing what I love now, so that's good.
"It wasn't easy. It took me a little bit to maybe come to terms with how long the layoff was going to be. But listen, once it had happened, it happened. It was a bit like, all I could do then was recover and try and get as fit as possible as quick as I could. That's what I did. It is during hard times when you grow the most and, honestly, that whole year was really difficult. But I made the most of what I could do and I developed as a person."
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Meanwhile, as Oxford surged to promotion through the play-offs, the club remained in contact, even inviting him to the Wembley final. That connection meant a lot to Mills. It made a tough decision that bit easier when the opportunity to leave Everton for Oxford came up in January, this time on a permanent deal.
Two months later, with Mills' opportunities growing as his match sharpness returns, he said: "It was a tough decision. I had a little bit of time left on my contract at Everton but after being injured for so long it was an opportunity to play that I was unlikely to otherwise get in the short term. To come here and be able to be involved and play in such a good league was a no brainer for me. It's a place I'm familiar with and coming back has been really enjoyable so far. I'm looking forward to what comes next."