Derby County’s Under-23s recorded their second win of the 2021/22 campaign with a thoroughly deserved 6-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in Premier League 2 - Division 1 on Friday evening.
Derby stormed out of the traps in stunning fashion and Pat Lyons’ side blew their opponents away in impressive fashion inside the opening ten minutes at Loughborough University Stadium.
Skipper Eiran Cashin opened the scoring after just three minutes as he headed home midfielder Liam Thompson’s free-kick into the Rovers penalty area.
Derby were two goals to the good after just seven minutes through striker Jack Stretton, who fired home from just outside the box following good work by Louie Watson to press the visitors’ backline.
It got even better for the Rams two minutes later with Stretton again on the scoresheet, this time from inside the penalty area after a driving run from midfielder Connor Dixon.
The game settled down somewhat following Derby’s blistering start, but the visitors’ forgettable start to proceeding continued as they were reduced to ten men midway through the first half.
Harry Leonard caught full-back Kornell McDonald with a high and late challenge just inside the Rams half and the striker was shown a straight red card as a result.
Stretton completed his hat-trick just after the half-hour mark as he rounded off a move involving Isaac Hutchinson and Luke Plange with a poacher’s finish from ten yards out.
The goals kept coming in the second half as Lyons’ side added to their tally to rack up an emphatic victory.
Derby added a fifth with 66 minutes on the clock following a poor clearance from Blackburn goalkeeper Jordan Eastham, with Plange on hand to fire the ball into the net.
Plange got his second and Derby’s sixth just three minutes later as he beat Eastham with a headed effort from Thompson’s inviting ball into the box.
That proved to be the final goal of what proved to be a successful evening for the Rams’ Under-23s as they picked up a welcome and deserved three points, while they also kept it tight at the back to keep their first clean sheet of the campaign.
Derby’s Under-23s return to action in their latest Premier League Cup group game against Reading at Loughborough University Stadium on Monday 15th November (7pm kick-off).
Their next Premier League 2 - Division 1 fixture is also at Loughborough University Stadium on Friday 19th November against Manchester United (7pm kick-off).
Derby County Under-23s: Foulkes (GK), McDonald, R Hutchinson, L Thompson, Bardell, Cashin (C), Dixon (Matthews 82), I Hutchinson (Grewal-Pollard 82), Stretton, Watson, Plange (Cybulski 82)
Substitutes Not Used: Randle (GK), Clarke.
Blackburn Rovers Under-23s: Eastham (GK), Ferguson, Cirino (C), Garrett (Gent 46), Haddow (McBride 46), Saadi, Harlock, Nolan, Leonard, Wharton, Brennan.
Substitutes Not Used: Goddard (GK), Weston, Baker.