EVERTON academy coaches have been doing their homework in preparation for the club’s FA Youth Cup opener against Crystal Palace next Tuesday.
The young Blues travel to Crystal Palace to take on a talented Eagles side, and coach Kevin Sheedy admits he has been leaving nothing to chance when it comes to ensuring a successful start to their cup campaign.
Sheedy and fellow coach Neil Dewsnip will travel to Fulham today to watch Palace’s U-18 side in action, and academy director Alan Irivne made a solo scouting mission two weeks ago to run the rule over Everton’s opponents.
The Blues travel to London on the back of more fixture frustration, when their rescheduled Premier Academy league clash against Crewe today was again postponed, and Sheedy admits he would have preferred more game time to fine tune his young charges.
He said: “It’s not ideal but we just have to get on with it, games are postponed all the time and we’re not looking for any excuses.
“We have got almost everyone fit and we’re aiming to go down there in top shape and get the result we want because I’ve said it before, this is an important competition for us.
“It won’t be easy because Palace are a good team but we’re making meticulous preparations.”
The only injury doubt in Sheedy’s squad ahead of the tie is striker Chris Long, who suffered a badly gashed foot against Blackburn last month.
“We’ll give Chris every chance to prove his fitness because when fit he’s very important to us,” said Sheedy.
“He has been in good from lately and he’s desperate to come back from this in time for the FA Youth Cup.
“His foot was very swollen and he needed three stitches in the wound though so we need to be careful with him.”
