Everton: First week of pre-season ends with big win for Under-23s
By Paul Taylor
Everton Under-23s beat Flint 6-1 on Saturday, as manager David Unsworth declares the first week of pre-season a success.
It’s been an interesting week for Everton‘s Under-23s side. They returned to Finch Farm for preseason training, while boosting their squad with a couple of signings.
Then to top it all off, they won 6-1 on Saturday afternoon, in their friendly against Flint. No wonder manager David Unsworth has declared the first week of pre-season a success.
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Hopes was already high when the players arrived at Everton’s Halewood complex last Monday. After all, they were coming off a 2016/17 campaign, which saw them win the Premier League 2 title.
The anticipation only increased, when the Blues signed highly-rated winger Josh Bowler from Queens Park Rangers. He will be joined in the Under-23s squad by Anton Dokor, who has returned for a second loan spell on Merseyside.
Unsworth was impressed with the fitness of his players, as he put them all through their paces during the week. Speaking to evertonfc.com, he said:
"“The players had about five or six weeks off, but were all given their individual programmes to keep fit over the summer period. They all followed that and came back in great shape.”"
The former Everton defender was also asked about the specifics of his pre-season programme so far. The 43-year old said:
"“We’ve been training every morning with the ball on the pitch. We’ve been doing a lot of ball-familiarity work, small possession games, literally getting thousands and thousands of touches. Lots of technique work to get the speed and tempo back.”"
Based on the evidence of Saturday’s game, the players certainly seem to be taking on board what Unsworth is teaching them. Of course, it’s only a friendly, but a 6-1 win is still a good way to start your pre-season schedule.
The goalscorers included Boris Mathis, another recent arrival at Goodison Park, who scored twice. Calum Dyson also scored two goals, while the other strikes came from Morgan Feeney and Courtney Duffus.
The Under-23s will next play on Wednesday, when they travel to Lancashire to face Burscough. This will be followed by another away game on Friday, versus Accrington Stanley.
Next: Anton Donkor determined to prove Everton right
Do you have any takeaways from the first week of pre-season training for Everton? Is there anything in particular that has already got you excited for the new season? Share your thoughts in the comments section.