MK’s half time talk had the opposite effect he expected; Everton netted two quick goals, both well-worked from their point of view. The first, created by Tom Cannon, was a simple tap-in for Francis Okoronkwo, brought on at half time. Two minutes later, the double jab was rounded off as a slick Everton move saw Cannon sweep upfield and fire an unstoppable shot past the despairing Jordan Wright. Within five minutes of coming out, a comfortable Imps win had turned into a precarious precipice of potential elimination.
I felt this was a big test of our character. Having been coasting, if not entirely comfortable, we were in danger of an exit at the hands of kids. We quickly handed the initiative to young players who often thrive on confidence. Having taken the lead, we might have seen something of a swagger from Everton, which put us in a dangerous position.
Getting level didn’t take long – a Sean Roughan long throw drew a foul on Hopper, which, even on second look, appears a bit soft for me. Still, we take those breaks, and Jack Diamond did the necessary from 12 yards to put us back in the game. A 2-2, it was a finely balanced contest, and whilst it wasn’t exactly a blood-and-thunder encounter, there was enough to keep the chill off for those hardy souls in the stands.
Sean Roughan, who I thought had a good game at left wing-back, was rewarded with his first senior goal to restore City’s lead. It started with Jordan Wright rushing out of his goal Nigel Batch-style and launching it forward. A flick-on found a way out to Poole, and immediately Roughan’s run at the back stick was obvious to all watching. With nobody tracking him, he had a little time to execute a smart finish to give City the lead once again.
I never felt we really hit top gear, and one or two you’d be hoping might impress didn’t. Mandroiu did; he’s certainly a first-team player, but Lasse and Jordon Garrick both struggled, one from the start, the other coming on. Lasse had a poor first half, and whilst he picked up in the second, a Blackpool recall for Matty Virtue would be catastrophic – dare I say more so than Jack Diamond, which is odd given Diamond’s goals. I feel a player like Diamond can be found if you look hard enough (like a diamond in the rough, boom boom), but someone like Virtue, experienced in the division, and mature enough to control a game, is not easy to find at our level.
Even at 3-2, the spirited Everton side looked likely to cause problems. Bear in mind, it was two-thirds of our first-choice back three and regulars in other key positions. This was not the usual Under 21 canter, not by a long shot. In fact, as the board went up for injury time, you felt perhaps we were hanging on a little. Sadly, we took a huge blow that didn’t affect the result – Ben House came on briefly and ended up being carried off on a stretcher. Given Tom’s precarious fitness record, the last thing we need is our other striker injured, and the only mercy could be our proximity to the transfer window.
That delay meant four minutes of injury time wound up being eight, and it wasn’t eight comfortable minutes. With nothing to lose, Everton sent their keeper up for a set piece and then another as they searched a way back into the game. Okoronkwo had three late chances, the last of which came from one of those set pieces, drawing a good save from Wright. It felt possible we could end up drawing 3-3, the game could have gone either way, but it went our way. A thwarted last-gasp attack saw Diamond break free with an empty net waiting, and he took his time before finding it. There were no crowds on the pitch; it was too cold, but they thought it was all over as Diamond broke free, and with the last kick of the game, he sealed a 4-2 win.
The game reminds me of two from the 2017/18 Checkatratde Trophy campaign. It reminds me a bit of the Rochdale win, only in that if you see a photo from the game five years in the future, without an opposition shirt in the shot, you’ll know which it has come from. On that occasion, the pitch was so bad there’s no mistaking it; on this occasion, it was the layer of white. You don’t often see games played in those conditions now. After that game, we took a player on loan (Jordan Williams) – I wouldn’t mind seeing the same with Cannon or even Okoronkwo.
The other game it reminded me of was our quarter-final against Peterborough – a topsy-turvy game in which a 4-2 win flattered the Imps after a late goal sealed a victory. Say what you want about the EFL Trophy; it does provide entertainment for those wishing to watch youths as well as senior sides – we’ve had some mad wins in this tournament over the last few years. Last night, without a doubt, was one of those.
Ben House’s injury could be a huge cost to us. The £40,000 might be the fee for a player whose contract is slowly running out, someone like the next Cohen Bramall or Regan Poole. Who knows? I know the next round draw will inevitably be Portsmouth or Plymouth away from home, meaning a tough journey and opponent at a time when we don’t need it. That said, when we got to the final in 2017/18, we faced League One Peterborough, and our route to the semi-final in 2020/21 saw us face Hull City. If you want to win the trophy and earn a potential £250,000 in prize money alone, you must be prepared to beat anyone.
Last night, we perhaps beat the best Under 21 side to have faced us in the competition since Chelsea in 2017/18. Credit them for the challenge and us for getting the job done in difficult conditions.
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