Kevin Sheedy on Everton's Dallas Cup win - 'I feared an early exit'Young Blues recovered from opening game defeat to lift trophy for first time in historyBeni Baningime and Delial Brewster (R) of Everton FC U18s holding the Dallas Cup
Kevin Sheedy admits he feared an early exit from the Dallas Cup after Everton lost their opening game.
But the Blues under-18 coach has hailed his players’ resolve after they returned home as champions.
Everton won the prestigious youth tournament for the first time in their history on Sunday night as a double from Delial Brewster helped seal a 2-1 win over Fulham.
The Academy youngsters lost 1-0 to Sinergia Deportiva Tigres in their opening game of the tournament but defeated Kyoto Sanga 2-1 in their must-win second game of the group stage.
An impressive 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake sealed their place in the semi-finals as group winners and was followed up with a last four victory over FC Dallas before they saw off Fulham to win the tournament - and complete a remarkable turnaround from the opening game.
But asked if he feared an early return home, Sheedy said: “Yes.
“Because usually in a tournament when you lose your first game you are struggling.
“The pressure was on to win the second game. We played well against the Japanese team, Delial got the winning goal with a run from the half-way line.
“We gave ourselves a chance in the third game, managed to run out 3-1 winners and that was enough. And the performances got better each game, the defeat didn’t dent our confidence at all, but the second game was the key one because if we had drawn that game then we wouldn’t have qualified.
“But winning that one put the ball in our court and we played really well against Salt Lake, they made it difficult, but Nathan Broadhead scored a great goal and Delial again.”
Sheedy added: “I wanted us to go over there and compete as best we could.
“We had a little bit of inexperience amongst the squad so you are never certain what is going to happen but it worked out really well.
“With the main starting players, we didn’t get any injuries and so were able to keep the strongest team available to start the games.
“They were starting and finishing the games whereas Fulham used six subs - and they were second and third years - so that showed how well our lads did against fresh players.
“It was a magnificent effort.”
Everton's Dallas Cup winners - three who could go on to star for the Blues
In his post-game speech to the Everton squad, Sheedy said the Dallas Cup win was among his greatest achievements in football.
For a player as decorated as the former Blues and Republic of Ireland winger it was a statement to make you sit up and take note.
It was one he meant.
“I thought about it before the game,” Sheedy said.
“Even if we had been beaten I would still have said it. I knew the effort they were going to put into the game, I’d watched Fulham and seen them live so planned for the best way to beat them and the players really stuck to the game-plan.
“I wasn’t saying that lightly. I have had some great moments in football playing wise and coaching but when you put everything about the trip together, it was something I was proud of.
They gave me, Phil Jevons and the rest of the staff everything they had and more. I was really proud of them and so it is up there with my best achievements because there were a lot of challenges along the way.
“I have been in the game, playing and coaching, since I was 15 and so I know the habits needed and what they need to do day in, day out to reach their goals.
"My job is to teach them good habits that they can carry on throughout their career, at whatever level they play at, and I get a real enjoyment out of seeing those players showing their ability, beating opposition players, chasing back and doing all the things you need to do well to win games.
“The tackling, the recovery runs, runs to get forward, the whole package and they did that in abundance.”
Youth Coach Kevin SheedyYouth Coach Kevin Sheedy
'Now for Blackburn!'
Sheedy and the Everton squad returned to Finch Farm earlier today after a mammoth 18-hour journey from their Dallas hotel.
New Academy Director Dr Peter Vint was on hand to congratulate the players and staff as they stepped foot off the coach.
Sheedy will give the players Wednesday off but wants them back on the training pitch on Thursday, fully focused for their Premier League play-off game with Blackburn on Saturday (11am).
“We have got Blackburn at home which will be a real tough game,” Sheedy said.
“We played them not so long ago and came out 3-2 winners but they pushed us right to the line. They are a very good side so it will be another good test.
“It is a case of coming back down to earth a little bit. The lads are off on Wednesday, they are at college, we’re back in Thursday.
“It’s not about forgetting Dallas, but it’s another lesson now. They can’t live on the back of that, they need to win their next game if they want to win the league which they are capable of doing. But we’ve got to show the same commitment as we did in Dallas.”
“I won’t put any names to this but certainly there were two players who really impressed me in Dallas, they were the talismen of the team,
“But that was coupled with the rest of the group doing their best and more. They will play at some level, it is still early in their development, but on that showing they will get themselves a career in football and the higher the better.
“There were players who surprised me. I hadn’t seen certain attributes in some of the players, certainly at that level, before and the ones I wasn’t sure about really rolled up their sleeves and put in a shift.
“I came back with players having proved to me what they can do so that gives me the opportunity to push them even more.”
Delial Brewster of Everton FC U18s returns to Finch Farm after helping his team win The Dallas Cup on March 29, 2016
Sheedy’s post-match interview was interrupted when the squad drenched him in water as they celebrated the win.
“I’ve been known for my vision but I didn’t see the lads coming,” he joked.
“I had my back to play which is the wrong thing to do.
“But it was lovely to see the lads celebrating because it meant that much to them and they had put that much into it.
“I said to them after the game that they covered twice as much grass as Fulham, they put such a shift in and Fulham couldn’t handle us at all.
“We out-powered them, out-played them and with Delial - with the tournament he had - he was on fire for us and scored the goal.
"But it was a real team effort and everybody played their part.”
Liv Echo
Well done to all the team and staff! 