Seamus Coleman plays 58 minutes on Everton return

Seamus Coleman successfully came through just under an hour of football at Goodison Park last night as he played his first competitive match since breaking his leg last March.

Ireland’s captain was on from the start for the Everton U23s against Portsmouth U23s in the Premier League Cup and, after 58 minutes, he left the field of play to a warm applause from the smattering of fans present.

It was a largely uneventful return to the fray for the Donegal man but one of much personal significance as the 29-year-old eased his way back into action, though one full-blooded sliding tackle in the first half suggested he was not in the least inhibited about putting himself to the physical test.