Everton academy chief identifies key lesson after late defeat at Shrewsbury – ‘We can’t lose a game’

Everton Under-21s head of academy player development David Hughes stated that his side must learn how to see games out following a 2-1 defeat to Shrewsbury Town in the Jersey Mike's Trophy. Isaac Fletcher opened the scoring for Shrewsbury in the 51st minute, but Everton substitute Omari Benjamin leveled the score in the 84th minute before Jeval Thompson-McKenzie netted Shrewsbury's stoppage-time winner from a corner.

Hughes praised Benjamin's impact off the bench and noted performance improvements compared to an earlier 6-3 defeat against Stockport County. Addressing potential first-team call-ups under David Moyes due to senior squad injuries, Hughes emphasized that the academy's focus remains on challenging and preparing the players ahead of their next fixture against Tranmere Rovers on November 24.