Ten-Man Under-21s Exit PDL Playoffs With 3-1 Huddersfield Defeat

Everton Under-21s’ league season concluded with a 3-1 defeat in the PDL Playoff semi-finals at Huddersfield Town.

The Toffees were on top as the tie headed into extra time, but the harsh dismissal of Kingsford Boakye for two bookable offences changed the game's momentum and substitute James Spencer struck twice either side of the break to secure victory for the Terriers.

The first half of regulation time proved a somewhat tepid affair, with Paul Tait’s side struggling to break down a disciplined, well-organised Huddersfield who in turn provided a real threat coming forward, particularly on the counter.

George Pickford was forced into his first save of the evening in the 11th minute, a comfortable one from Marlie James’ header, but looked beaten just four minutes later as 37-year-old player-coach Jonathan Hogg looked set to finish a quick counter from inside the box, only for his effort to bounce back off the post.

Town striker Jay Sway was providing problems for the Everton backline and also looked a threat from set pieces, the youngster forcing a good stop from Pickford in the 17th minute with a low, driven free kick.

The hosts continued to look the more likely to break the deadlock and rattled the frame of the goal again just past the half-hour through Ian Togo, the Terriers’ captain flicking on a dangerous long throw into the box.

Everton’s best chance of the first half fell to Demi Akarakiri in the 38th minute, who side-footed the ball wide from 12 yards after a battling run to the byline from Braiden Graham.

The Toffees were made to pay for that miss a minute later as Sway was released over half-way and shifted the ball onto his right foot as he approached the box, making enough space against the retreating Aled Thomas and finding the far corner in clinical fashion.

Right on the stroke of half-time, however, Everton had their equaliser as Shea Pita’s excellent delivery from a corner was headed into his own net by Togo.

Everton needed to improve after a poor first half and certainly came out for the second in determined fashion, with Graham firing narrowly wide from 20 yards shortly after the restart before Catesby’s touch from a superb Luca Davis cross ran to Francis Hurl in the Huddersfield goal before he could apply the finish.

Those right-wing deliveries from Davis were causing problems for Huddersfield, who were finding themselves on the back foot for the first time in the game, and Callum Bates headed another Davis cross over from 12 yards in the 54th minute.

Paul Tait introduced Omari Benjamin and Malik Olayiwola on the hour and the former forced a good save from Hurl in the 66th minute with a fierce snap-shot on the turn.

The Toffees had all the momentum in the second half but with Huddersfield proving a tough nut to crack, the match went into extra time where momentum would swing again as substitute Boakye saw red in the 96th minute for a second bookable offence.

Boakye burst into the box and went down under a challenge from left-back Dylan Tawodzera. There was slight contact between the two players but Boakye was adjudged by the referee to have committed an act of simulation and was shown a second booking, much to the winger's disbelief.

The game undoubtedly turned on that moment, with the Terriers coming out of their shell and looking to attack having spent much of the second half penned in their own final third.

The introduction of James Spencer provided the hosts with the attacking spark they needed and, a minute after his deflected effort cannoned back off the post, Spencer slotted home from 12 yards after a well-worked move from the hosts around the 10 men of Everton.

Spencer then provided the killing blow three minutes after the extra time restart, finishing powerfully inside the box to end our Under-21s' league season.

Speaking after the game, Tait told evertonfc.com:  "I’m disappointed. It’s a semi-final and the carrot at the end of the stick was a place in the final and the chance to keep the season alive but it wasn’t to be. We started well in the first half but then we let them get on top a little bit in terms of their energy and their pressing.

"We let that get to us but in the second half I thought we were in total control and we were all over them, but we just couldn’t produce a moment of quality and when you’re on top like that you need to score. 

"It didn’t look like a sending off to me, I thought it was very harsh. There was contact in the box and he’s gone down. We were up against it from then and they fed off it and had a spring in their step. We made some poor decisions as a group for 10 minutes or so after that, which can happen with young players.

"They felt a little bit sorry for themselves and before we knew it, we couldn’t bounce back. They went two goals to the good, they had some energy and we looked a bit flat and a bit leggy."