Everton U21s Eliminated from EFL Vertu Trophy After Heavy Defeat too Bradford City
bradford, England – Everton’s Under-21s suffered a meaningful setback in their EFL Vertu Trophy campaign, falling to a decisive defeat against League One side Bradford City on Tuesday evening. The 4-1 loss at Valley Parade confirms Everton’s elimination from the group stage, with a final, inconsequential match against Grimsby remaining.
Paul Tait’s young side have struggled for consistency this season, winning only one of their last five games and just one of their last six across all competitions. This defeat follows an earlier loss to Doncaster Rovers in the opening group match of the Vertu Trophy. The match, broadcast on Sky Sports+, kicked off at 7:30 pm BST.
The fixture presented an opportunity for senior players to gain match practice, with Nathan Patterson, Dwight McNeil, and Adam Aznou included in the starting eleven. Bradford City also featured a familiar face in Jenson Metcalfe, a former Everton academy player who departed last July.
Though, the experience proved insufficient as Everton found themselves trailing 4-0 at halftime. The Blues’ struggles continued into the second half, compounded by a serious injury to winger Joel Catesby, who was stretchered off after appearing to break his right ankle on the hour mark. Justin Clarke replaced Catesby.
Clarke’s dangerous cross later in the match led to an own goal by Bradford’s Wright, offering a brief respite for the visitors. Though, Bradford quickly restored their advantage with a goal five minutes from time, despite a valiant effort from goalkeeper George Pickford, who made two crucial saves to prevent a larger margin of defeat.
The result means Everton U21s will not advance from their group and their final match against Grimsby will be a non-competitive fixture.
Everton U21s: G Pickford, N Patterson [Y:45+1′] (90+2′ Morgan), Tamen [Y:90+5′], Thomas, Aznou, Gomez, Bates, Beaumont-Clark (79′ Finney [Y:90+13′]), McNeil, Catesby (70′ Clarke), benjamin [Y:76′] (90+2′ Ebere).
Subs not Used: Lukjanciks,Samuels-Smith,Van Schoor.
Attendance: 4,170
