The promotion of Demi Akarakiri and Malik Olayiwola and a few others to the Everton Under-21s is opening up more opportunities for yet more exciting youngsters to show their talent and on Saturday they did just that as they demolished Stoke City 5-3 in a Premier League Under 18 game in the Potteries.
The rout started as early as the 6th minute with a sweeping move down the right flank. It’s ironic that Everton struggle to find a right full back for the first team yet the youth supply line currently has Roman Dixon and George Finney (both out on loan), Odin Samuels-Smith and Luca Davis able to play there for the U21s and in this U18 game a certain **Rocco Lambert** tearing it up. It was the latter’s cross that saw goalscorer **Jonathan Nsangou**, who was only 15 years old a few weeks ago, dispatch his 6th minute shot like a veteran, 1-0.
A more familiar face to Evertonians, Justin Clarke, made a storming 90 yard right wing run with players trailing in his slipstream. Although he over-ran the ball slightly at the very end, he fought to feed the ball to **Ceiran Loney** who made no mistake, 2-0 up within the opening 9 minutes!
The flowing football continued as Clarke again, fed by a nice cushioned ball from Lambert, showed good strength to feed a ball left in the 15th minute. The resulting cross from Louis Poland (I think) saw **Nsangou** bag his brace, 3-0 and cruising.
A defensive surrender on the touchline allowed Stoke to reduce the deficit in the 27th minute and 6 minutes into the 2nd half , the young Potters pulled a nice goal back to make the scoreline 3-2.
Do have a look at the goal from the 63rd minute by the Blues’ 17 year old Northern Irishman **Freddie Murdock**. It is absolutely outstanding in technique. The biggest compliment I can pay is to say that David Beckham in his prime would have been replaying that one multiple times. The whip in Murdock’s kicking technique was perfect, 4-2.
It was our marauding right back Rocco Lambert’s turn again in the 85th minute to provide a pinpoint cross for **Ceiran Loney** to classily convert home and bag his brace also, 5-2.
The Potters were awarded an extremely generous penalty in the 90+8th minute as Freddie Murdock barely touched a Stoke forward. Seve Patrick in the Blues goal couldn’t quite stop it but no matter, a deserved 5-3 victory for Keith Southern’s exciting charges. See the action below:
The headliners are probably Loney and young Nsangou for their goals but Murdock’s goal was incredible.
Justin Clarke is already finding his feet in the U21s but needs match practice after an injury from October caused him to miss 3 months of football. Scotsman Loney also has made a breakthrough at that level but it’s clear, from this showing, that the conveyor belt of talent is in full swing. Long may it continue.
Next up for the U18s is the Merseyside Derby on Saturday morning followed by the eagerly awaited FA Youth Cup tie at home to Ipswich Town on February 12th. Hopefully more good news to report next week!