Everton hope Goodison occasion inspires youngsters as youth cup begins

David Moyes has been able to call on six players - Leon Osman, Tony Hibbert, Victor Anichebe, James Vaughan, Jack Rodwell and Jose Baxter - so far this season who have progressed through the ranks.

The latest crop of Academy players will be keen to follow in their footsteps. But they will equally be hoping to make a big impression on their first experience of a competitive match at Goodison Park.

Everton have won the Youth Cup three times and been in four other finals. But in recent years any run has been curtailed in its infancy.

The likes of Osman and Hibbert have shown the benefit of Youth Cup success, while Wayne Rooney used reaching the final as a Goodison platform.

While coach Neil Dewsnip is looking no further than this evening, he is keen for his players to get more chances of expressing themselves in the premier Youth competition.

He said: "It is a tournament we look forward to and it would be great to get through and then take it from there. It can give all the lads a boost to go far in a competition.

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"We have done well in the Youth Cup in the past and although we haven't done as well recently, we hope we can go on a long run this year. But part of the reason we haven't maybe been as strong in the Youth Cup is that some of our best players haven't played because they have been involved in our first team. This year is no different as Jack Rodwell is with our first team. We never got around to discussing whether Jose Baxter would play because he is injured at the moment.

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"That is important to remember because as much as we would like to do well in the Youth Cup our number one focus is producing players for the first team squad."

He added: "It will be pretty much the side who has been playing in the Academy League for us. For most of the season we have performed very well - sometimes things haven't gone for us and we've drawn too many, but generally they have done well."

Everton, though, will not be taking their non-League opponents lightly. Nantwich beat Coca-Cola League Two side Macclesfield in the last round. Dewsnip saw them in action and said: "We are all looking forward to the match. Every player is excited about playing on Goodison. I'm sure that is going to be massively motivational, but I'm sure the same will go for their players.

"These (ties) can be tricky and I'm sure they will be very up for it. We're treating them with same sort of respect as any team and preparing as if we are playing against a Premier League club. We will hope to do that right throughout the game and come out the other end with a positive result."

Sadly James McCarten, who would have captained the side, will be missing after being injured playing for the reserves against Sunderland last week.

It will be Everton's last match of the year before the Academy League shuts down for the Christmas break. If they win they will travel to face the winners of tonight's other tie between Burnley and West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round.

EVERTON YOUTH (from): Stubhaug, McArdle, Barnett, Nsiala, Craig, McCready, Sinnott, Wallace, Kinsella, Barkley, Powell, Akpan, Redmond, Codling, Duffy, Sheppard, Stewart, Davies, Nolan, McAleny.