Derby County’s Under-18s coach Justin Walker has called on his side to maintain their self-belief after Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League – North defeat to Sunderland.
Some good attacking play helped to produce plenty of scoring opportunities for the Rams, but the final bit of quality to their play went missing as they were handed a fourth competitive defeat of the season.
The result sees Derby stay in fifth position in Premier League – North on 20 points, and Walker was encouraging to his side ahead of their upcoming games.
Speaking to dcfc.co.uk, he said: “It was a game where we had enough opportunities, but unfortunately, we didn’t have enough quality to maximise those chances that we created.
“It’s always a situation where you have to maintain your self-belief.
“Confidence is a huge thing in football and I think the players have got to keep showing the character that they’ve shown in the first five or six months.
“It was one of those situations today where we shuffled the pack, in terms of different players getting an opportunity. They’re going to have to show more than they’ve shown today to ensure they maximise that opportunity.”
The defeat to Sunderland was a third narrow loss in a row for the Rams following matches against Everton in the league and Norwich in the FA Youth Cup.
However, after a strong start to the season that saw an unbeaten run of 11 games in all competitions, Walker says that attitude of the players cannot be questioned.
He said: “It’s very rare that we question the players’ effort and application. We have spoken before about the character within this group.
“Hard work is not enough; that’s a gimme for every player.
“I think we’ve got to show more quality than we’ve shown in recent games because you’re always susceptible to the opposition maximising their chances, which makes the game difficult.
“For us, it is focussing on how the players are developing, and a few players have had an opportunity today that have not had many prior to Christmas. That’s because of the progress of the other players moving up, so they’ve got to grasp that opportunity and show us why they should be in the team.”
Post-match, Walker was also able to reflect on the wider picture and the achievements of the academy so far this season.
A number of players from the Under-18s squad have made appearances for the Under-23 side, and Walker said that the progress made at youth levels must be highlighted.
He said: “The priority for us is how the players are developing, so where each individual is at in terms of their progress.
“We’ve seen progress that has been really positive within the academy, so it’s not too downhearted after three defeats.
“The biggest thing for the majority of the 18’s is being involved with the 23s, and it’s our job to make sure that happens.
“Likewise, there is still a big nucleus of under-18s that need to step up and try and secure themselves a future at the football club, but also grasp an opportunity somewhere else.”
The Under-18s next match will be on the 3rd February when they travel to face Manchester United away from home.
Words by Marc Walker
Images by Jonty Colman