Derby County Under-21s flew to a scintillating 8-2 win against Bristol City in the Premier League Cup at the Proctor Cars Stadium.
The Young Rams earned their first win in the cup competition in emphatic fashion, as an electric first 15 minutes in Matlock saw Derby four goals to the good, with Owen Eames and Cruz Allen getting Derby ahead before a Cameron Wilson double.
Allen netted once more in the 25th minute, before Johnson Osong got in on the act after half an hour.
A Justin Oguntolu brace in the second period sealed the deal and cancelled out two consolation goals the visitors had scored before half-time.
Key Moments
Owen Eames opened the scoring after just three minutes of play, as he finished off a rapid counter-attack after Cruz Allen squared the ball to the midfielder at the back post to tap into an empty net.
The goal came about after sharp thinking from goalkeeper Jack Thompson, who caught the Bristol defence off-guard with a quick kick after Bristol saw a free-kick goal denied for offside in the first knockings of the match. Thompson arrowed a perfect through ball to an onrushing Allen in acres of space to set up the goal.
Thompson exploited a perfect long ball once more in the seventh minute when Allen ran off the shoulder of the defence and the goalkeeper’s 80-yard punt dropped perfectly for him, as he took the ball down and dinked it over the opposition goalkeeper to score.
Wilson made it three with another rapid attack in the 10th minute. Allen charged with the ball and floated past three defenders before unleashing a driven through ball to Wilson, who took it perfectly and hit a low strike into the bottom left corner.
Wilson was at it again five minutes after as he was johnny-on-the-spot to poke in from close range at the far post after a mistake from the defence in dealing with Osong’s cross into the box.
Allen went from provider to goalscorer in the 25th minute when he fed off the scraps of Owen Eames’ cross, which saw Wilson and Oguntolu have efforts deflected before he tucked away confident strike to make it 5-0.
Osong notched Derby’s sixth as Allen found the forward’s run with another perfectly timed pass, lifted to unlock the defence. Osong unleashed a vicious shot across goal and into the back of the net.
The Robins got two back before the break, with Ruebin Sheppard converting from the penalty spot in the 34th minute and Billy Phillips getting the second in the seventh minute of added time as he hit one from the edge of the penalty area.
Oguntolu kept the scoring going in the second half as he tapped in Allen’s cross in the 63rd minute.
The striker went on to deal the final, and tenth, goal of the game when he dribbled in behind and halted his run to round a defender before smartly dispatching a shot into the back of the net.
The Rams’ Under-21s will be back in action in Premier League 2 when they head to Motspur Park to play Fulham Under-21s on Friday 24th October (7pm kick-off).
Post-Match Reaction
“It was an excellent performance for many reasons tonight,” Senior Professional Development Coach Danny Maye said after the rampant victory in Matlock.
“We controlled the ball and carried a real threat every time we broke. It was pleasing to see so many get into the box, and we got our rewards. We played with composure and recognised the moments to speed up.
“Without the ball the lads worked incredibly hard tonight. We picked the right moments to press and won a lot of balls high up the field. Our counter press was also a real strength.
“As the game went on, we recognised when to drop in and hurt them on the counter. It was great to see us look more difficult to break down in the latter stages, too. It’s not easy to beat anyone 8-2 at this level, so the lads should be proud.”
Related to this