Everton Under-21s boss Paul Tait backed the "passion" behind the red cards handed to two of his frustrated starlets in the side's defeat to Southampton.
Sebastian Quirk and Isaac Price were both sent off in the closing stages of the 2-1 defeat, Quirk for a second yellow card and Price for dissent. Tait said both must learn from the experience but added: “It’s just passion, I’m not going to take that out of them."
There were positives to take from the Premier League Cup loss at Walton Hall Park despite the result. Ben Godfrey made a major step in his comeback by playing for the first hour and, with two U21s having been involved with the first team, six second-year scholars and one first-year scholar earned vital experience.
