WANDERERS fans boycotted the Checkatrade Trophy in their droves… and by the end of the night their decision had been entirely justified.

Just 1,540 turned up to see the opening group game of the revamped and much-maligned competition and few stayed behind to hear the final whistle echo around the empty stands.

If the public showed their disdain by staying away, the players didn’t make a great job of hiding their own on the pitch.

Two well-taken goals gave a bubbly Everton Under-23s three points and leaves Wanderers with plenty of work to do in their final two group games if – and that is a big ‘if’ - they intend to progress in the competition.

Calum Dyson lit up the first half with a brilliant opener before another of Merseyside’s prodigies, Conor McAleny, came off the bench to head home a second.

But while Blues coach David Unsworth will be happy with his side’s work, Phil Parkinson’s job of deciding if he can part with some of his fringe players today might have been made a little simpler.

Wanderers lived up to their end of the bargain on team selection, fielding seven players who took to the field at Charlton on Saturday and another two unused subs.

Josh Vela was handed the captaincy while there were senior debuts for defender Alex Perry and midfielder Jack Earing – both highly-rated members of David Lee’s Under-23 set-up.

But familiar names were few and far between on the Everton side, whose youth ranks had been drained by international call-ups.

Ex-Bury defender Matt Foulds started for the Blues but otherwise the line-up did little to assuage the apathy which has been shown to the revamped competition since the summer.

The football didn’t help early on, either. Wanderers had been more convincing in pre-season. Even Lofty the Lion was struggling to find any enthusiasm.

While Unsworth’s side buzzed around with the exuberance of youth, Parkinson won’t be pleased a side with plenty of senior experience failed to get a proper grip at all.

Jamie Proctor was a surprise starter, given his recent injury issues, so it was little surprise that having completed his obligations and avoided the fines, the Whites boss brought his striker off with just 15 minutes gone.

Everton took the lead with a brilliant effort from Dyson. Picking the ball up from David Henen on the edge of the box he curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner. Had you not already been able to hear a pin drop at the Macron, it would have been enough to silence the fans.

The school of science is still creating good footballers at Finch Farm and no more so than Huyton-born midfielder Liam Walsh, who pulled the strings like a seasoned professional in the first half.

Wanderers’ best chance also came via an Everton player – Bassala Sambou heading Chris Taylor’s free kick towards his own goal and forcing a sprawling save from Mateusz Hewelt.

If anything, Everton should have been two up at the break, though, as Mark Howard pulled off a smart stop from Walsh’s thunderous shot.

Wanderers upped the tempo after the restart but though Conor Wilkinson flashed in some decent crosses, keeper Hewelt remained untested.

Andy Taylor also hammered a volley just over the bar as the visitors retreated deeper and deeper on to the edge of their own box, looking to break on the counter.

The few Wanderers fans who had journeyed out on a Tuesday evening were getting frustrated long before sub McAleny headed home the second goal with 12 minutes left on the clock.

Gary Madine had a chance to respond immediately, played in on goal with a long ball over the top but his hopeless swipe wide rather summed up the night.

Just three dozen more supporters had turned up on a freezing night at Burnden in 1991 to see a game against Rochdale in one of the competition’s previous incarnations but at least they were treated to some decent football as a positive result.

“There was a genuine feeling about this group stage situation, you could feel it,” Parkinson said. “I said to the lads that this is a lesson to us all that motivation levels have been great since day one but the minute that comes down a notch, this is what happens. You lose games of football.

“We pieced a team together. You could see that the supporters had not bought into it. And maybe getting that motivation was difficult.

“I have spent all day on the phone, worrying about the transfer window, and maybe that bled through into the dressing room?”

Wanderers (4-4-2):

MARK HOWARD… 6.5

ALEX PERRY…5.5

LEWIS BUXTON… 6

MARK BEEVERS…6

ANDY TAYLOR…5.5

LAWRIE WILSON…5.5

JOSH VELA…7

JACK EARING…7

CHRIS TAYLOR…6

JAMIE PROCTOR… N/A

KAIYNE WOOLERY… 6

Subs: Wilkinson 15 (for Proctor) 6.5

Spearing 5 (for Vela) 68

Madine 5 (for Perry) 68

Not used: Turner, Moxey, Walker, Wheater.

Everton (4-1-2-3): Hewelt; Yates (Brewster), Yarney, Foulds, Robinson; Baningime; Bainbridge, Walsh; Sambou (McAleny 62), Dyson, Henen (Broadhead 62).

Not used: Gray.

Attendance: 1,540 (163)

Referee: David Webb