Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas reports on Douglass Lukjanciks after his penalty heroics took the Under-21s through to the next stage of the FA Youth Cup
His big moment was stunning but it should not have been a surprise.
As Everton’s teenagers erupted in celebration on the hallowed turf of Goodison Park, the players shared in a moment that will last long in their memories. For Douglass Lukjanciks, the success unfolded in minutes but was built on hours of preparation. That attention to detail is standard for a player known for his professional attitude and meticulous attention to detail despite his young age.
Everton’s FA Youth Cup dreams rested on a knife edge on Friday night when their fourth-round tie with West Ham United went to penalties. Goals from Braiden Graham and Shea Pita had given the Under-18s a comeback lead after Lewis Beckford opened the scoring for the away side. An Andre Pike penalty in the second half took the match through to the most dramatic of conclusions.
This was a time for Lukjanciks to put his preparation into practice. The 18-year-old goalkeeper had worked through what the coaching staff had been able to gather about the opposition’s penalty preferences before the game.
Just six days after the senior side suffered the ignominy of missing all three penalties in the FA Cup defeat to Sunderland, Everton’s youngsters showed them how it is done with their own 3-0 shootout success – Lukjanciks saving all three of West Ham’s efforts.
“There was a lot of work behind the scenes,” the keeper told the club’s media team after the result. “We analysed their players – what they do, how they approach penalties, and then from there it’s just following the script.”
The plotting had been such that Lukjanciks, who has a growing reputation for saving from 12 yards, was disappointed not to have stopped the spot kick in normal time. At the end of the match – winger Justin Clarke slotting in the winning penalty – the focus understandably went onto Lukjanciks, who pumped his fist to the cameras tracking his elation.
For much of the Blues fanbase it was a breakthrough moment in their awareness of the teenager. Inside the game his talent has been recognised for some time. “His attitude is brilliant,” one source tells the ECHO. “He is a really good shot stopper so he saves a lot. He is a good talker and a good team-mate to have – he wants the best for all of the players. He is a winner, too.”
Lukjanciks, who was born in Latvia but has grown up in Southport, has long been on the radar of the England youth set-up. Already an U16, U17 and U18 international before the start of this season, he stepped up to the U19s at the start of this campaign, earning his first start under Will Antwi as he took part in the same set of fixtures as Blues academy team-mate Harrison Armstrong.
Like Armstrong, who is now impressing in David Moyes’ first team, Lukjanciks has risen through the ranks at Finch Farm, the keeper joining at U12s level.
There have been times when his future looked in doubt – he was reportedly the subject of interest from Manchester City a few summers ago. But it is at Everton where he continues to push his development, aided at times by advice from Jordan Pickford, who is known to wander across to watch academy matches when they coincide with the end of first-team training.
Lukjanciks has also been exposed to first-team training this season and was also part of the senior squad’s summer training camp in Scotland. Like Pickford, Lukjanciks is not among the tallest in his profession but he has tailored his game to become a formidable #1.
The question for Lukjanciks is how far he can go and that is likely to depend on the opportunities he gets to progress. “If it is about attitude and work ethic he will go right to the top,” the ECHO is told. Big moments like the FA Youth Cup heroics last week will help his cause as he looks to continue his development.
There is a sense he is ready to test himself regularly in the U21s during the rest of this season with a loan move to challenge himself in senior football deemed as potentially crucial in the next campaign. How much opportunity he will get in the U21s is likely to come down to the immediate future of George Pickford, the academy goalkeeper who is slightly older and who has been excellent in Paul Tait’s team this season – excelling again in the Premier League International Cup win over RB Leipzig at Goodison on Tuesday night, for which Lukjanciks was on the bench.
Even if George Pickford remains at Everton, Harry Tyrer’s move to Cardiff City could open up more opportunities to train with the first team and allow Lukjanciks to step up from time to time.
The intent for him to do well is there at the club. When he penned his first professional deal in October 2024, then director of football Kevin Thelwell spoke highly of him, saying: “Douglass is a talented young goalkeeper with a lot of potential and we are very pleased he has extended his stay here with us at Everton. His attributes have been recognised by England at Under-18 level and, with the excellent coaches we have within our Academy, along with the other fine keepers to learn from, we are confident Douglass will keep progressing at the club.”
That pathway will be important with him now halfway through that contract. One thing is certain – because of his brilliance the other night he will at least get another chance to show his ability in the FA Youth Cup.