Two fine goals from Braiden Graham seal Everton U21s come back win in Solihull | OneFootball

Solihull Moors 1 - 2 Everton U21s

Everton Under-21s began their National League Cup campaign this evening with an excellent comeback win over Solihull Moors at Damson Park.

The National League Cup – restructured last season to introduce Premier League 2 teams – sees the Toffees take on Solihull Moors, Tamworth, Brackley Town and Rochdale in the group stage.

The home side got on the scoreboard with a really good strike by Fin Holmes into the top corner that beat George Pickford all hands down. Everton struggled to get back into the game, with Issac Heath hitting the bar before the break.

Kingsford Boyake went off injured just before the break, being replaced by Braiden Graham, who scored two excellent goals late in the second half after being put through by great work from midfield.

For the first goal, he took advantage of a defender, who slipped and lost the ball, to toe-poke it past the keeper low into the corner:

And in the last minute, he grabbed a second to secure a win for Everton and avoid the penalty shoot-out, finishing with a fine dinked chip over the goalkeeper:

Everton U21s: G Pickford; Finney, Tamen, Thomas (59' Van Schoor), Samuels-Smith; Bates, J Patterson, Boakye  (43' Graham), Heath (60' Morgan), Clarke (60' Beaumont-Clark), Okoronkwo.

Reader Comments (40)

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Dave Abrahams 2 Posted 12/08/2025 at 21:08:13

Not sure of the score but Braiden Graham scored two goals after coming on as sub, one of them a really cracking goal.

We never lost but not sure if it was 2-1 for or 2-2 more likely to be the win.

John Raftery 3 Posted 12/08/2025 at 21:14:48

Braiden Graham started to make a name for himself last season.

He appears to be an outstanding prospect with an eye for goal.

This competition seems to be a new thing since last season, 2024-25, although we weren't involved. Seems to be a tie-up of 16 teams from the National League who play 16 teams from PL2 in 4 groups of 8 (split 4 and 4):

Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Derby County, Fulham, Leeds United, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

That was last season's selection from the 26 teams in PL2.

This season, 2025-26, we are included:

Blackburn Rovers, Brighton & Hove Albion, Burnley, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United, Leicester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion, West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

I can't figure out the selection criteria.

Michael Kenrick 6 Posted 12/08/2025 at 22:19:18

Not having much luck embedding stuff from Twatter but the goals are well worth a look if you can get them to work.

And no sign of Adam Aznou in Paul Tait's squad? I thought he'd be a shoo-in as he's clearly not ready for the Premier League proper.

But then I'm sure the agents these days insert a clause saying their prize player will not be selected for the U21s unless recovering from injury, or some such.

Robert Tressell 8 Posted 12/08/2025 at 23:38:57

Ryan I think it’s because Moyes doesn’t trust youth on the basis he doesn’t play academy players destined for lower / non league football. Therefore he wouldn’t trust highly talented youth players with international credentials and first team experience in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues. Stands to reason surely?

Jack Convery 9 Posted 13/08/2025 at 01:22:23

Well done lads. 1st proper win for the Blues this season. Onwards and upwards.

David Bromwell 10 Posted 13/08/2025 at 07:35:46

Good to start the season with a win. I really hope we begin to see clear progress from one or two of these lads in the hope that they will eventually become first team regulars. We can clearly see that the transfer market has become very expensive and ever more difficult, and I can never understand why teenagers from abroad are seemingly better prepared than our own lads who we have trained on a daily basis since they were 6 or 7.

Ryan Holroyd 11 Posted 13/08/2025 at 08:39:42

Sorry Robert you’re right. We should be playing our young players like Lewis Warrington because he trained with us since he was 7 and is not foreign.

Where is Lewis Warrington now?

Dave Abrahams 12 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:12:11

Robert(8), I think Braiden Graham is a special talent—a goal poacher, watch his movement off the ball, his anticipation is a player who smells what’s coming, scored four goals in game last season all inside the six yard box, the first one he started the move just inside the opponents half swinging the ball right across the field from one side to the other then ran fifty or so yards and slotted the ball home a couple of yards from the goal line.

This is a kid who played in the Irish league at fifteen years of age including the Irish FA cup final.

Robert not sure but you might have said last season that you expect him to get some game time in the first team in the very near future.

This one kid I wouldn’t send on loan, he went to America on the recent tour and never got a second on the field, I hope he is a regular training with the first team squad, mind with the lack of movement in the Everton team this lad might embarrass a few of them.

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts 13 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:14:53

Robert - I did a piece which was never published about Moyes and kids.

Not sure which kids he never played who went on to be stars.And of those he did play, Shane Duffy is probably the only one who had only a handful of appearances. All the others (Chadwick, Baxter, Gosling, Jutkiewicz, Vellios, Forshaw, McAleny - who is still playing aged 33) were either not good enough or, in the case of one, thought they were better than they were.

Dave Abrahams 14 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:24:59

Phil (13),

Well he offered Jose Baxter a new 2-year contract that was 50% less wages than he was one, great encouragement that. Baxter told him what he could do with that contract and packed football in ‘til Alan Stubbs got him back in the game.

Gosling was a player in the £3M bracket at the time, and his new contract was cocked up by Kenwright. I didn't realise Moyes was manager at the time, so he might have had a hand in the cock-up in that episode. I mean, he was giving out contracts to Everton players while he was on his way to being Man Utd's manager!

Danny O'Neill 16 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:32:13

Phil @13,

A counter to that and one that did go on to be a star. Mustafi, the German centre-back.

We initially brought him into the academy, quickly elevated him to the first team squad and then never used him.

Two FA Cup winners medals with Arsenal and to cap it off, a World Cup Winners medal with Germany.

Dave Abrahams 18 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:41:21

Ryan (17)

It only took nine minutes for you to reply to my post, I knew you'd be replying but gave you longer than that!

I'll get back to you later on my way out now.

Robert Tressell 19 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:42:59

Dave #12, I wouldn't go so far as saying I expect Graham to debut this season – but I think he stands a chance. Same as Nsangou and Olayiwola.

These seem to be the most highly rated beyond Armstrong. Lucjanciks too but harder for a teenage goalkeeper to debut for a Premier League club.

If any of these can debut this season, it would keep them on the same trajectory as the likes of Rodwell and Anichebe etc.

Steve Brown 20 Posted 13/08/2025 at 09:51:14

Ryan,

Aznou played 15 games for Valladolid which I am sure was a good learning experience for him. They were relegated from La Liga after winning 4 games all season and conceding 90 goals.

I am sure Aznou has good potential; however, his readiness for the first team was probably best summed up by the manager subbing him off against Roma after he came on as a substitute.

I could be wrong, but I will be surprised if the manager selects him as a starter for any of the league games while Mykolenko is out injured.

Ryan Holroyd 22 Posted 13/08/2025 at 10:10:11

You may be right, Steve. Less than a week til we find out.

Ryan Holroyd 23 Posted 13/08/2025 at 10:10:55

I'm allowed to reply to your crap, Dave!!!

Sam Hoare 24 Posted 13/08/2025 at 10:13:37

I think Aznou is a big step ahead of these kids. Don't think anyone should be judging him on minutes in his first game for us in pre-season after about a week's training, least of all Moyes.

Grealish will need runners around him and that's exactly what Aznou can offer when up to speed on the left flank. He may not be ready for Leeds but hopefully Moyes will use him at some point soon.

Ryan Holroyd 25 Posted 13/08/2025 at 10:15:08

Anyway I shall not be commenting any more.

Let’s hope we have a good season

Mike Allison 26 Posted 13/08/2025 at 10:29:32

Robert, who is Nsangou? He’s not listed on the official app in either u-21 or u-18

Steve, I don’t think Aznou being subbed off was particularly negative - he’d been on since the 11th minute. It seems to be more like normal pre-season ‘minute management’ for a player who hasn’t done all the training.

Robert Tressell 27 Posted 13/08/2025 at 11:01:50

He’s the polish / English / Cameroonian right winger playmaker. Will turn 16 this coming season I think.

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts 28 Posted 13/08/2025 at 11:07:54

Re Anzou being subbed off.

He was on the bench and probably expected to have 15-20 minutes at the end of the game. He came on after 10 so my take is Moyes took him off because Anzou was tiring.In addition, anyone see which players went over to him after his blunder led to their goal? I'll list them here " ". The kid trudged back to the half way line hoping a hole would open up and swallow him. I think his head had gone and there was no sign of "right, I'll show them" but "what have I done". Mentally he was possibly not right for the last 15 minutes which is why Seamus came on.And if the plan was for Seamus to get 15 minutes, who were you taking off? Tarkowski, Branthwaite or O'Brien?

Ryan (23) Of course you are allowed to reply to my crap— a bit of thought might come in handy though when you start calling people “ Coke heads” @ (17).

As for Jose— made his debut as one of the youngest players to play for Everton, nearly scored in that game with a cracking effort that hit the angle of the post and crossbar.

I don’t know if Baxter ever went on the other gear but if he did it’s possible being given a contract which was 50% less than what you were on didn’t help his thought process, however when Alan Stubbs got him fixed up with Oldham Ath. he quickly made his mark with them and earned a transfer to Sheffield Unt. for a tidy sum, then he did go ff the rails—no one’s perfect but he got himself back on track after his downward spiral and the last I heard of him he had being working for EITC for quite a few years so I’d give him a pat on the back for getting himself together.

I won’t mention Moyes’s 40 odd games without winning an away game v the top four teams even if it was 12 years ago, mind you if it 50 years ago it’s really and truly unbelievable that a manager couldn’t manage one away win in all time particularly when the next manager won at Old Trafford in his first go there as Everton’s manager!

Ryan Holroyd 31 Posted 13/08/2025 at 14:41:30

Here you go Dave just for your reference.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47394200

A tidy sum? 500k

Fair play for getting his life back on track.

Remind me how how many times we’ve won at United, Chelsea, city, a field, Arsenal since Moyes left?

Maybe we should get Martinez back? You know the guy who finished 11th twice with lukaku, Barkley, baines, Coleman, deulofeu etc.

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts 33 Posted 13/08/2025 at 15:00:08

And Dave, who was their manager when we did win at OT?

Steve Brown 34 Posted 13/08/2025 at 15:00:14

20/21 we won at Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs and drew at Man U.

With Dave’s favourite the mighty Carlo in charge! :)

Ryan Holroyd 35 Posted 13/08/2025 at 16:22:14

Someone has to point things out to you Dave.

36 Posted 13/08/2025 at 16:50:29

I was standing on the sidelines on this one.

Ryan, I know you don't take kindly to advice as I've seen when other posters have tried in a polite way to offer it.

This forum has always prided itself on debate, discussion and yes, sometimes it get's heated. None of us are always right or wrong. It's an opinion.

Each is entitled to their own view even if we disagree. But there is a way of doing it.

Coming back with a counter opinion, with your own would be more constructive than dismissing someone's as "crap" in a one-liner.

I doubt you've ever met Dave apart from behind a keyboard, but in his 80 years (sorry if I'm putting years on you Dave!!), he's seen everything Everton, so I doubt you or I could tell him much.

Relegation in the 50s. The glorious 60s. The nearly 70s. The 80s and then the steady decline.

You often make very good and valid points. Best you stick to that.

I standby for the "I don't need you to tell me what to say". I'm not. Just add a bit more substance and your point of view.