Everton Under-23s return to Premier League 2 action on Monday night when the young Blues host Arsenal at Southport FC (7pm GMT).

Ahead of the game, you can learn more about in-form striker Tom Cannon as he discusses his childhood heroes, his blistering start to life at Everton, and his Toffees targets…

MY FIRST FOOTBALL MEMORIES ARE…

It would be playing in the garden with my brothers – and we’d be kicking each other quite a lot! My mum would moan because the grass would get wrecked. I have a twin and an older brother and sister. As a family, we love football and my dad used to play for a local team. My brothers were decent players, too. My twin was a centre-half and my older brother played centre-mid. I was pretty young when I realised I was a bit better than them…I started nutmegging them and they’d get pretty annoyed!

MY FOOTBALL HEROES ARE...

I love Alan Shearer. I look back at some videos of him and the goals he scored…what a player he was. Thierry Henry was another one. I remember that goal he scored against Man United when he flicked it up and then hit it first time from outside the box. Unbelievable. He could do everything. He was so fast and skilful, brilliant on one-v-ones, and he could link-up the play. 

MY FIRST MEMORIES AT EVERTON ARE…

I was 10 when I joined the Academy, but I remember my trial before that. I scored a hat-trick, I think it was against Bristol City. That was the first game I played for Everton. My second game was a derby and I scored a hat-trick in that, too! Since then, I’ve just kept scoring. Everton is such a great place to be. You come here and it feels like home – it’s dead close-knit. You’d never walk past someone without saying ‘good morning’ to each other. Every coach I’ve had throughout my time at the Academy has helped me. Not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. They instil good values in you. I’m very thankful for all their support.

MY BEST MOMENT IN FOOTBALL HAS BEEN…

It would have to be signing my first professional contract. My whole family were there – my mum, dad, my two brothers and my sister. It was great for us all to be together. Marcel Brands was there, too, and my mum and dad were chatting away to him. Signing that contract felt like a reward for a lot of hard work, not just from myself but my family. All those nights my mum and dad ran me up the M57 to training…it was great to get that recognition for them.

MY EVERTON DREAM IS…

It would obviously be to break into the First Team, whenever that may be. If I can keep scoring and working on my game here with the Under-23s, hopefully one day I’ll get that call. I played for the First Team in pre-season and it was amazing. It felt surreal, being around these players who you watch on tele. I scored in the friendly against Accrington Stanley and they all ran up to me after the goal. I was like, ‘Wow, am I actually here?’. It was a great feeling and it would be unbelievable to experience that at Goodison Park one day.