Everton U21s Thrilling Comeback Falls Short in EFL Trophy Loss

Everton’s Under-21s produced a wild, breathless comeback at Edgeley Park – then collapsed just as dramatically – as Stockport County ran out 6-3 winners in a chaotic EFL Trophy opener.

From 3-0 down to 3-3 and then utterly blown away again, this was a night that laid bare both the promise and the rawness of David Hughes’ young side. One player, though, rose above the wreckage: Braiden Graham, outstanding in defeat.

Stockport ruthless as young Blues unravel

Jimmy McNulty, back on familiar ground against the club whose academy once shaped him, made 11 changes from the Stockport side that beat Plymouth Argyle at the weekend. It didn’t blunt their edge.

County dominated from the start and struck first on 11 minutes. Everton’s back line froze, waiting for an offside flag that never came, and Callum Camps slid a clever pass into Malik Mothersille. George Pickford got something on the shot but not enough; the ball trickled over the line and the tone was set.

Everton never settled. Hughes’ side insisted on playing out from the back and were punished just before the interval. Captain William Tamen was caught in possession, Camps pounced, and the finish was routine. One mistake became two. With the final touch of the half, Jason Adigun slipped the ball through Tamen’s legs and picked out Mika Mandron, who made it 3-0. Harsh lesson, brutal scoreline.

Graham drags Everton back from the brink

Whatever was said at half-time worked. Everton emerged with purpose and, crucially, with Graham on the ball.

On 51 minutes, operating from the right, the Northern Ireland youngster whipped in a precise cross that found Joel Catesby. The Birkenhead-born forward, whose last appearance in this competition ended with a broken leg at Bradford, met it with an assured finish. A cathartic goal and a lifeline.

The pressure finally told again three minutes later. Melvin Matos, already bandaged after an early head injury and in the thick of every collision, drove into the box and was chopped down by Owen Moxon. Graham stepped up, sent Lucas Ashby-Hammond the wrong way and buried the penalty. From nowhere, 3-2 and belief flooding back.

Everton kept pushing and the equaliser, when it came, was worthy of any stage. On 77 minutes, Graham collected the ball on the edge of the area and bent a superb curling effort into the corner. A hat-trick of contributions – assist, penalty, wonder strike – and a side that had been dead and buried were suddenly level.

For a minute.

Comeback killed in 120 seconds

The response from Stockport was ruthless. Straight from the restart, the ball was worked wide and substitute Tayo Edun arrived at the back post to slam County back in front. Everton barely had time to reset before they were cut open again.

Within another 60 seconds, Mothersille found space and rolled in a composed low finish for 5-3. The comeback that had promised so much was shredded in two brutal minutes.

Deep into stoppage time, Mothersille completed his hat-trick to make it six, adding a final layer of punishment to a scoreline that both flattered Stockport and underlined Everton’s naivety.

For Hughes and his staff, the tape will make painful viewing. For Graham, it was the night he announced himself.

Everton U21s player ratings

• George Pickford – 5 Produced solid stops to deny Adigun and Mandron but conceded six and will know he should have done better with the opener after getting a hand to Mothersille’s shot. One sliced kick straight into Mandron summed up a jittery night.
• George Finney – 5 Willing but exposed. The former Ayr United loanee battled on the right but looked every inch a youngster still learning his trade, especially under Stockport’s press.
• William Tamen – 4 A bruising evening for the captain. Robbed in the build-up to the second goal, nutmegged before the third and guilty of earlier loose distribution to Ryan Rydel. A leader on paper, but this was a game that ran away from him.
• Luis Gardner – 5 Never fully at ease alongside Tamen. Avoided the glaring individual errors but his partnership at centre-back was often at sixes and sevens, and one ambitious diagonal pass flew miles off target.
• Joshua Van Schoor – 5 Pinned back for long spells and rarely able to break forward as he has in recent outings. Booked for a challenge on Mothersille that had home fans baying for a red.
• Harvey Foster – 5 A comedown from his first-team high at Dundee. Worked hard but spent too long chasing shadows as Stockport controlled the midfield in the first half.
• Harry Brookes – 5 Found the game passing him by as Everton were overrun centrally before the break. Stayed on long enough to be part of the early second-half surge, then made way.
• Braiden Graham – 9 Outstanding. Switched to the right and lit up the contest, supplying Catesby’s goal with a sharp cross, burying his penalty with authority and then levelling with a gorgeous curling strike. The clear standout in blue and the reason Everton ever threatened a miracle.
• Melvin Matos – 7 Involved from the first whistle. Suffered a nasty head knock, returned with a bandage and no name on his shirt, then hurled himself into challenges. Won the penalty after drawing Moxon’s foul and never shirked the physical battle.
• Joel Catesby – 8 A special moment. Back in this competition after last year’s broken leg at Bradford, he finished Graham’s cross with real composure. Intelligent movement and tidy touches before being withdrawn.
• Ceiran Loney – 5 Toiled up front without reward. Went one-on-one with Ashby-Hammond but lacked conviction as the keeper cleared, then failed to sort his feet for a good chance created by Justin Clarke.

Substitutes

• Jack Patterson (on 57 for Harry Brookes) – 6 Injected energy and legs in midfield, helping Everton sustain their second-half spell.
• Justin Clarke (on 70 for Joel Catesby) – 7 Lively cameo. Created a clear opening for Loney and gave Stockport something to think about down the flank.
• Aled Thomas (on 83 for Luis Gardner) Introduced late, just before Stockport’s fifth. No time to influence the chaos.
• Omari Benjamin (on 83 for Melvin Matos) Another late change as Everton chased the game. Impact limited.
• Jonathan Nsangou (on 83 for Ceiran Loney) Arrived as the contest slipped away again. Couldn’t alter the tide.

Nine goals, a hat-trick for Mothersille, a breakout display from Graham – and a stark reminder of how unforgiving senior football can be. How quickly these youngsters absorb that lesson will shape the rest of their EFL Trophy campaign.