Seamus Coleman came through his first competitive game since last March unscathed as he competed 58 minutes for Evertonâs Under-23s side at Goodison Park on Tuesday night.
The Republic of Ireland captain, who suffered an horrific double leg break 10 months ago whilst playing for his country against Wales in last yearâs World Cup 2018 qualifier, took his first steps towards full match fitness against Portsmouth in a 3-0 victory for the Toffees.
Having only returned to training last month, the 29-year-old impressed with a solid run-out under the watchful eye of Blues boss Sam Allardyce in the stands at Goodison.
Here, we take a look at Colemanâs first outing in a blue shirt for 311 days.
Key moments
4th minute: Makes a trademark early run down the right-hand side and digs out a low cross which is cleared at the near post.
13th minute: Comes short for a corner and collects a pass from left-back Luke Garbutt before attempting to hook a ball into the penalty area.
18th minute: Shows no signs of ducking a physical challenge, nailing Pompeyâs left winger with a crunching tackle and ending the away sideâs attack.
37th minute: Climbs highest to head away a searching ball into the box.
45th minute: Displays plenty of energy to get up the pitch and join in the attack, but an off-side is called.
52th minute: Pings an inch perfect ball from around 40 yards straight onto the chest of Blues attacker Bassala Sambou who then turns and heads for goal.
58th minute: Subbed off just before the hour and gets warm applause from the sparse Goodison crowd â and a hug from Under-23s boss David Unsworth.
Coleman suffered a double leg break in Dublin back in March 2017.
Effectiveness
Starting in his usual right-back berth, Coleman didnât have the busiest of nights as Everton were in total command in the Premier League Cup clash.
As anticipated, the hosts gave the defender just under an hour to ease him back after such a long-term injury and everyone at the club will be delighted he is close to making a full first-team return.
The former Sligo Rovers man, who was famously signed for just ÂŁ60,000 by David Moyes back in 2009, was neat and tidy to begin with before he eventually overlapped and bombed on a few times with pacey runs from deep.
Perhaps his most telling first-half contribution was a powerful tackle where he won the ball â clearly showing he has put any injury worries to the back of his mind.
Given there were just a few hundred people watching under the lights at Goodison, it was mentioned on commentary that you could hear Coleman barking orders on the pitch, again illustrating that it didnât take him long to get back in the thick of it.
Coleman generally had nothing to do defensively and joined the Toffees attack whenever he could, although he didnât get in the oppositionâs final third much.
From the commentary box
Everton club captain Phil Jagielka co-commentated on the match and was delighted to see his long-time team-mate take to the pitch again and get vital minutes under his belt.
âItâs nice to see him back and itâs great news for the first-team,â the veteran defender told Evertonâs official YouTube channel.
âItâs a positive tick in the column for Seamus and I look forward to seeing him in training tomorrow (Wednesday) for his cool downs â and heâll want to be getting in the mixer for first-team selection as soon as possible.â
He added: âThose 58 minutes will stand him in good stead.â
Toffees stalwart Jagielka did however say it wonât be easy for the experienced right-back to immediately force his way back into the reckoning following the emergence of academy graduate Jonjoe Kenny, who has become a fixture in the side this term.
âHeâll be back in the frame for the first-team but I didnât say back playing (straight away), Jonjoe has played really well and has grown in the role.
âSeamus has got a good battle on for that position â theyâre two great lads, two great professionals and two great full-backs.â
Verdict
The sight of Coleman in an Everton shirt again was not only a welcome one for fans of the Merseysiders, but football fans generally, given that the Republic of Ireland skipper is a well-liked player by many in the game.
The night couldnât really have gone any better in the sense it went to script with Coleman getting almost a full hour and coming through without any physical concerns.
While Everton are crying out for options at left-back given Leighton Baines is out injured and there is a lack of left-footed players in the squad, Kennyâs form at right-back means they are in no rush to speed-up Colemanâs full comeback.
Expect Coleman to have at least one or two more run-outs, and a behind-closed-door match, before he is selected in Evertonâs first-team squad but his eagerly-awaited return is a big boost for everyone especially following James McCarthyâs recent injury.
It will be interesting to see whether he can get back to the level he enjoyed prior to his long spell out.
Letâs not forget, Everton might be in ninth position in the Premier League table but are only six points off the relegation zone and could still be dragged right into a battle at the bottom.
So to put it simply, having Coleman back is very timely.