David Unsworth heaped praise on his Under-21 side after they maintained their top-flight status with a 2-1 victory at West Ham.
The young Blues avoided relegation from the 12-team table with a game to spare, having overcome a multitude of obstacles over the course of the campaign.
In the end, Chris Long's strike and Kieran Dowell's deflected free-kick at Romford - coupled with Tottenham beating Fulham - guaranteed the Toffees would again compete against the best sides in the country next term.
And for Unsworth, it was a deserved outcome for his development squad.
"For the first time this season, I asked them for a win as opposed to a performance and they did that," he told evertonfc.com.
"I'm very, very proud of them and of their display. It wasn't pretty at times but our game management and our shape off the ball was outstanding and as good as it's been all season.
"We gave ourselves a platform but then had a nervy last 10 minutes because West Ham applied a bit of pressure as you would expect. They've got some good players and I know Steve Potts really well from my time here. He's well organised but I am immensely proud of what our lads have achieved this season."
The Under-21s have not only contributed players to Roberto Martinez's first team during 2014/15, but a dozen youngsters have been handed loan opportunities in the Football League and beyond.
Add to that the introduction of numerous scholars into an older division and it could have made for a difficult campaign. Unsworth, however, declared himself satisfied with the way his squad have dealt with such circumstances.
"The aim of the manager, myself and the staff has always been to use the Under-21s as a platform for the players to showcase themselves," he added.
"To then have 12 players go out on loan and five make their first-team debuts and to still be competitive and stay in the league after all we've done, it is a great achievement by the lads.
"It's all down to them and I've got nothing but praise for them tonight. It was a determined win where they had something to fight for and hold on to.
"It speaks volumes for everybody. We've stretched our players and that, for me, is the biggest plus of the season. We asked the question at the start when we sat second in the league for a while, which was great, but we've then been able to get players out on loan to challenge them even further.
"Then the lads that have come up from the Under-18s have been stretched massively because the jump to Under-21s football is huge. They've competed and bar the Tottenham away game, there have been many good performances. Tonight shows we have a lot of very good young players at our football club.
"What the Under-21s will do again next season will give us another platform early on to showcase and get them out on loan, allowing the younger crop underneath them to come up. That won't change. That's our policy and, for me, that's what the development of young players is all about."
Everton Under-21s sign off for the season against Tottenham at Goodison Park on Monday 18 May, 7pm.
