WITH no game at the weekend Everton have plenty of time to prepare for their next match with Liverpool a week on Saturday.

Neil Dewsnip’s side, like the first team, were due to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, but with the Midlanders going on a trip to Dubai the match was postponed and has to be rearranged.

With a break in FA Premier Academy League fixtures this coming weekend, it means Everton will not be in action for three weeks with the next clash the first Merseyside derby clash of the season with Liverpool at the Kirkby Academy a week on Saturday (11am).

Everton lost their last match against West Bromwich Albion and are currently lying bottom of the north west section.

And even though the majority of the U18s side were in action for the reserves last night at Bolton Wanderers they will be itching to get back to Academy League action.

Despite having won just two and drawn one of their opening eight matches, Dewsnip feels there have been plenty of positives and is hopeful results will pick up.

Coach Dewsnip said: “We don’t play for two weeks, which is not ideal at this part of the season.

“We are playing really, really well. The facts will say we are not winning many football matches at the moment. We don’t like that and we want to change that. But in terms of performance the lads can take a lot out of the early part of the season. Apart from Coventry we have played well enough to have won every game. We are playing well enough with the ball, but conceding way too many goals because of naivity as a team and too many individual errors. But if we can learn from that and keep playing as we have with the ball we will be okay.”

Meanwhile Everton forward Hallum Hope played for an hour of England under-16s 1-0 win over Wales in Friday night’s Victory Shield opener at Yeovil’s Huish Park.

Hope went close for Kenny Swain’s side on a couple of occasions before being replaced by Arsenal’s Zak Ansah, who scored the only goal of the game with 14 minutes left.