Francis Jeffers praised the character Everton’s Under-21s showed against Lincoln City on Tuesday but admitted they ultimately left themselves with too much to do against the experienced League Two outfit.
Jeffers took temporary charge for the game at Sincil Bank but saw his young Blues fall behind to two Jordan Maguire-Drew efforts in the opening 23 minutes.
Everton rallied after the break and created a raft of chances before Dennis Adeniran grabbed his first Toffees goal to half the deficit with nine minutes to go.
But despite a late charge, Jeffers’ side were unable to find the equaliser their second-half efforts deserved.