Braiden Graham Stars in Everton U21s' 6-3 Defeat Against Stockport

Everton Under-21s lived through the full range of emotions at Edgeley Park – from shell-shocked to inspired to broken – as they came from three goals down only to collapse again in a 6-3 defeat to Stockport County in the EFL Trophy.

It was wild. It was messy. And in the middle of it all, Braiden Graham delivered a performance that deserved far better than the scoreline.

Stockport’s second string, same ruthless edge

Jimmy McNulty ripped up his Stockport County XI from the weekend, making 11 changes from the side that beat Plymouth Argyle in League One. This was supposed to be a chance for Everton’s youngsters, now under academy player development chief David Hughes, to test themselves against a rotated side.

Instead, they were on the back foot almost from the start.

On 11 minutes, the familiar name of Malik Mothersille came back to haunt them. The Croydon-born Jamaica international, who trialled with Everton U21s in 2023 but never earned a deal and later joined Peterborough United, broke the deadlock. Callum Camps slid him through while Everton’s defence waited for an offside flag that never came. George Pickford got a hand to the shot but couldn’t keep it out. 1-0, and a warning of what was to come.

Stockport dominated the half and turned the screw just before the break. Trying to play out from the back, Everton were punished as captain William Tamen was robbed in a dangerous area and Camps was left with a simple finish. One mistake, two goals down.

The final act of the half was brutal. Jason Adigun slipped the ball through Tamen’s legs and squared for Mika Mandron to score. From a contest to a rout in seconds. Everton trudged off 3-0 down, rattled and exposed.

Graham drags Everton back from the brink

Whatever was said at half-time worked. Everton emerged with purpose, and Graham took control.

On 51 minutes, operating from the right, he produced a composed, intelligent cross that found Joel Catesby. The Birkenhead-born forward, who suffered a horrific leg break in this competition at Bradford last October, met it with a calm, clinical finish. A big moment for him, a lifeline for Everton.

Three minutes later, the comeback gathered pace. Melvin Matos drove into the box and was chopped down by Owen Moxon. Penalty. Graham stepped up, coolly sent Lucas Ashby-Hammond the wrong way and buried it to the keeper’s right. From nowhere, 3-2, and belief.

Everton were suddenly on the front foot. Graham was everywhere, demanding the ball, asking questions. And on 77 minutes, he produced the moment of the night. Picking it up on the edge of the area, the Northern Ireland prospect curled a superb strike into the corner to complete a remarkable turnaround. From 3-0 down to 3-3. For a brief spell, it felt like the kids had cracked it.

They hadn’t.

Everton level – then crumble

The joy lasted barely a minute. Almost straight from the restart, substitute Tayo Edun arrived at the back post and drilled Stockport back in front. Everton switched off once, and it cost them.

Another minute, another punch to the gut. Mothersille, ice-cold again, swept in a low finish to make it 5-3. The same player who could have been in blue instead ripping them apart in yellow and blue.

By stoppage time, the game had turned from thriller to ordeal. Mothersille completed his hat-trick to seal the rout at 6-3. From 3-3 and dreaming to 6-3 and devastated in the space of a few chaotic minutes.

Everton U21 player ratings

• George Pickford – 5
  Produced decent stops to deny Adigun and Mandron but conceded six and will dwell on the opener, having got a hand to Mothersille’s shot. One sliced kick straight into Mandron summed up a jittery night.
• George Finney – 5
  The teenager, who has had a loan spell at Ayr United, worked hard but struggled. Exposed at times and showed he’s still learning; not the answer to any senior right-back debate.
• William Tamen – 4
  A bruising night for the captain. Lost the ball in the build-up to the second goal, nutmegged by Adigun for the third and had earlier gifted possession to Ryan Rydel. Helped Tranmere Rovers stay in the Football League last season, but this was one to file away quickly.
• Luis Gardner – 5
  Never fully settled alongside Tamen in the first half, with the pair often at sixes and sevens. No glaring individual error, but one ambitious diagonal pass sailed miles off target and captured the uncertainty.
• Joshua Van Schoor – 5
  Pinned back for long spells and rarely able to break forward as he has done recently. Booked for a challenge on Mothersille that had home fans baying for a red.
• Harvey Foster – 5
  A sharp drop from the high of scoring for the first team at Dundee. Spent large periods chasing shadows as Stockport overran the midfield before the break.
• Harry Brookes – 5
  Found the going tough as Everton were swamped in the centre of the pitch early on. Stayed on long enough to be part of the second-half rally before being the first man substituted.
• Braiden Graham – 9
  Outstanding. Switched to the right and lit up the game. Set up Catesby’s goal with a precise cross, buried his penalty with authority and then levelled with a superb curling strike from the edge of the box. Everton’s standout performer by a distance.
• Melvin Matos – 7
  Involved from the off. Suffered a head knock and returned with a bandage and a blank shirt after blood ruined the original. Threw himself into challenges, collided heavily with Arttu Hoskonen, went down under Lewis Fiorini’s challenge and eventually won the penalty after Moxon’s foul.
• Joel Catesby – 8
  A special moment in a difficult night. After that awful leg break in this competition last year, his assured finish from Graham’s cross was a reminder of his quality and resilience.
• Ceiran Loney – 5
  Worked, but it never quite clicked. Went one-on-one with Ashby-Hammond and lacked conviction, allowing the keeper to clear. Later failed to find the right angle after being set up by Justin Clarke.

Substitutes

• Jack Patterson (on 57 for Harry Brookes) – 6
  Injected energy and legs into midfield for the final half-hour.
• Justin Clarke (on 70 for Joel Catesby) – 7
  Lively cameo. Created a big chance for Loney with an inviting pass.
• Aled Thomas (on 83 for Luis Gardner)
  On just before Stockport’s fifth. Too late to influence the chaos.
• Omari Benjamin (on 83 for Melvin Matos)
  Arrived as the game ran away from Everton.
• Jonathan Nsangou (on 83 for Ceiran Loney)
  Another late introduction with the contest already gone.

Everton’s youngsters leave Edgeley Park with no points, six goals conceded and plenty of scars. But they also leave with a clear bright spot: in Graham, they have a talent who looks ready for much bigger stages. How quickly the club can harness that will shape more than just their next EFL Trophy tie.