Seasons » 2015-16 » Everton News
Hibbert features in U21s win


Clint Hughes/Getty Images
The veteran defender hasn't featured at senior level since pre-season but he played the first 45 minutes for the Under-21s as they beat Manchester City 1-0 at Goodison Park, indicating perhaps that he is being drafted back in as emergency cover for the injured Seamus Coleman.
Coleman looks set to miss the FA Cup semi-final with a hamstring injury, leaving Roberto Martinez a vacancy at right back that has no reliable back up.
Hibbert, 35, has been struggling with injury and lack of fitness for the past couple of seasons while some of the options from David Unsworth's U21s team lack first-team experience, are injured or, like Matthew Pennington who has filled in in defence already this season, are currently out on loan.
Tyias Browning is sidelined with a long-term injury, Brendan Galloway has a knock, and summer acquisition Mason Holgate has yet to play for the senior side but Callum Connolly, who came on for Coleman against Southampton last Saturday and isn't in this evening's U21s squad, could also deputise at Anfield on Wednesday evening against Liverpool.
Martinez also has the option of deploying James McCarthy, Bryan Oviedo or even Aaron Lennon as fill-in fullbacks but it looks as though Hibbert is being prepared as another option as well.
Unsworth's side took a 1-0 lead into half time against City's U21s thanks to another impressive goal by Kieran Dowell who netted after 12 minutes.
Hibbert was replaced by Gethin Jones at the halfway stage and the Blues almost doubled their lead early in the second half when David Henen and Dowell combined but the latter's shot came back off the upright.
Morgan Feeney then made an excellent goal-line clearance to deny Celina for the visitors after the City man had rounded goalkeeper Mateusz Hewelt and Everton held on to record a narrow win with Martinez watching on.
Everton U21s: Hewelt, Hibbert (Jones 46'), Foulds, Williams {c}, Holgate, Feeney, Charsley, Dyson, Evans (Baningime 81'), Dowell, Henen (Holland 90')
Subs: Gray, Lavery.
Reader Comments (57)
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2 Posted 18/04/2016 at 18:53:53
3 Posted 18/04/2016 at 18:59:39
To crown a glorious end of season resurgence, Hibbo scores the winner in the FA Cup Final. Get in there, you beauuuuuuuuuuuuty!!
4 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:04:44
Sometimes it's written in the stars!!
5 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:10:17
6 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:12:27
7 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:14:34
8 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:16:45
9 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:18:23
10 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:50:38
I think Lennon will play right back at Anfield.
11 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:57:13
12 Posted 18/04/2016 at 19:59:10
13 Posted 18/04/2016 at 20:04:35
14 Posted 18/04/2016 at 20:09:21
Still at least Bill's a blue, eh. Everything connected with Everton these days is shambolic. You can hear the laughing from the other side of Stanley Park day in day out.
15 Posted 18/04/2016 at 20:18:04
If my memory serves me right, they were a few points ahead of us when they sacked Brenda, looks who's laughing now.......
16 Posted 18/04/2016 at 20:29:42
In a match that will be as intense of a 90 minutes any player could play in, he has just the right level of fitness for this contest. It will be a Phenomenal feeling when he gets the expected winner in the 95th minute...
17 Posted 18/04/2016 at 20:49:24
18 Posted 18/04/2016 at 21:02:40
19 Posted 18/04/2016 at 21:43:50
20 Posted 18/04/2016 at 21:58:02
21 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:02:30
22 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:05:01
24 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:25:56
Same with Niasse. It makes no sense and makes me think of the Mike Walker era when the players reveled and did extra training cause MW's sessions weren't enough to get them fit.
25 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:27:36
Hibbert is past his best and has been out of action way too long to be considered for such big games.
26 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:29:16
Well partly because last Saturday was the first time we'd introduced any youngsters into the squad , apart from the brief appearances of Matt Pennington.
Tony(#13) I would play Connolly ahead of Holgate now, sadly chances were missed earlier in the season to get him game time with the 1st team to see what he has, eg, against Dagenham & Redbridge and Carlisle.
27 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:29:59
28 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:32:12
Hibbo playing for the U-21s? Based on his age does he count as two players for the side? Only in Europe. Bit like letting one of our professional American Football linebackers play with the high school team then.
30 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:47:52
31 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:51:50
32 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:55:26
33 Posted 18/04/2016 at 22:55:40
34 Posted 18/04/2016 at 23:10:16
35 Posted 18/04/2016 at 23:40:25
36 Posted 18/04/2016 at 00:13:47
Another player to catch the eye tonight was Antony Evans. This lad has really developed this season. His work rate is fantastic and he uses the ball well in the forward midfield/number ten role.
Overall it was an impressive team performance with the players showing the discipline to hold their positions and control the game even when they were not able to control possession.
37 Posted 19/04/2016 at 00:36:19
38 Posted 19/04/2016 at 02:29:25
Just because he's played 45 mins of a reserve match means he's probably fitter than most of our squad, but that doesn't say much. I really hope we get through this week without too much embarrassment, and then relieve the useless jerk of his 'managerial' duties.
He can then go and take Barca down to their equivalent of our NPL, as long as he never sets foot in Finch Farm again.
Signed... Mr Angry.
39 Posted 19/04/2016 at 03:18:49
40 Posted 19/04/2016 at 03:33:40
41 Posted 19/04/2016 at 04:04:43
Excellent update on the youngsters. Thank you. Please keep the reports coming. Can the two youngsters pass backwards and sideways though?
42 Posted 19/04/2016 at 07:23:18
43 Posted 19/04/2016 at 07:23:38
I don't think Tony ever played for Walter? Didn't Moyes bring him and Rooney through together?
Where's the Spanish fullback lad? Still injured?! My bet is he will play Oviedo there and Baines at left-back. I'd like him to play one of the kids, Browning (I know he is injured) made his debut in the derby and didn't look out of place.
44 Posted 19/04/2016 at 07:47:12
This is the inevitable outcome of buying your 15th or whatever it is defensive central midfielder and spunking 㾹.5 M on an apparently useless striker instead of addressing the quite glaringly obvious lack of cover for the right-back position. Unless Hibbo always *was* the right-back cover? And some people think Martinez should be trusted with a huge warchest in the Summer?
At least we may get a chance to do the "Tony, Tony Tony..." No Limits song again which has brightened my mood for the SF right there.
If Oviedo plays right back in either of the games this week, we'll get raped.
45 Posted 19/04/2016 at 10:11:28
46 Posted 19/04/2016 at 10:23:31
Everton lined up 4-4-2 with Evans playing just behind Calum Dyson supported down the flanks by Henen and McDowell, Williams and Charsley controlled the centre and the defence was built on Holgate and Feeney with Foulds and Hibbert at fullback and Hewelt in goal. Everton took charge of the game from the off, aggressive in midfield and McDowell adding skill and touch; City were pedestrian by comparison.
McDowell provided Everton's cutting edge, taking a pass and swerving past a defender to create space before hitting a sweet daisy-cutter from outside the area that their keeper couldn't get down to in time. A lovely moment in the game equalled in the second half when Holgate burst into the City half then played a ball down the wing to Henen who pulled the ball back at speed behind our front striker but into the path of the sprinting McDowell who hit it on the run as it came across his body and, from the corner of the box, the ball smacked against the foot of the near post and back into play.
City did change their game in the second half, being more direct and using the long ball to open our defence on several occasions; Feeney was splendidly athletic when, having allowed Celina too much space to chase down a long ball and round our keeper, he sprinted back to cover the line and block the goal-bound shot. But we held our composure well and saw out the game without Hewelt having to perform any heroics.
Hibbert played the first half and was sound defensively, Jones the second and he showed more prominently in attack. Dyson got no change from City's defence but there was no sign of the Under 21 Premier League Player for March, Courtney Duffus or Brewster who led the Under 18s to a competition victory in USA recently and Lavery did got get a chance to impress from the bench.
A performance to lift an Evertonian's spirits.
47 Posted 19/04/2016 at 10:35:01
A few weeks from the end of the season and his football playing career and we haul him back into the team, now? This is so ridiculous it's hilarious. He hasn't made a single appearance all season and not could feature at Old Trafford and then a cup semi!
We've also got Big Dunc as cover for Rom, given Niasse is learning how to play football and may be ready in 2019.
COYBs!
48 Posted 19/04/2016 at 10:39:58
We're wasting a lot of money on players like him. Joke.
49 Posted 19/04/2016 at 10:43:50
50 Posted 19/04/2016 at 10:45:04
51 Posted 19/04/2016 at 11:04:11
If given a chance, I think we have a few gems in our academy. Let's hope some are given that chance in our remaining league games. Nothing really to lose by it, plus I'm certain they would give 100% effort, unlike some at present.
52 Posted 19/04/2016 at 11:23:59
In what may be a bit of a parallel situation to the current one, he was rushed back into the Cup Final team in 2009 when clearly not fully fit, probably as a result of injuries to key players.
53 Posted 19/04/2016 at 11:34:56
But they are all off the mark. Hibbo is there purely for the 5th penalty after extra time. When it smashes into the roof of the net and the invasion commences. Can someone bring a bit of the turf and a piece of the goalpost down to Exeter for me please.
54 Posted 19/04/2016 at 12:00:20
Niasse has been training longer than he would get for pre-season – how can the manager get away with the excuses for this player? I don't think it's a joke – we now need the truth, not these brazen lies since the signing.
55 Posted 19/04/2016 at 14:28:54
56 Posted 19/04/2016 at 15:04:16
57 Posted 19/04/2016 at 15:26:11
Like Mike (#54) has stated, this is not a joke stop lying to us.
58 Posted 19/04/2016 at 15:55:43
59 Posted 19/04/2016 at 19:05:50
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1 Posted 18/04/2016 at 18:42:17