Liam Rosenior declared himself as ‘really pleased’ after watching his Derby County side start their 2022/23 Papa Johns Trophy campaign with a victory.
Derby were 3-1 winners over League Two side Grimsby Town at Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday evening thanks to three first half goals.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored early on while Louie Sibley and Max Bird found the back of the net before half-time in a convincing display.
Derby’s Interim Manager spoke to RamsTV after the Northern Section - Group F clash to review the performance and express his delight at the quality of his side’s goals.
On The Win…
I am really pleased. I thought it was a really good game and the application of the players was great. There were some fantastic goals scored and some excellent football too. Grimsby played their part and I said beforehand that they are a decent footballing side. I’m delighted with the result and the three goals. It keeps us in the winning habit, which is really important through the season. I didn’t need to tell the players to be professional in their approach tonight. They know every time they step on the pitch it tells a story about their character and how you are as a professional. I think tonight represented the group in a really good way. Regardless of the competition, I want us to play in the right way.
On The Goals…
I was delighted for Nat to get the opening goal. He was away from the group last week for personal reasons and to see him back in with the lads and getting a goal was something he deserved. He works really hard for the team and he kept himself fit when he was away. To get 60 minutes under his belt was fantastic. Louie Sibley’s goal was a confident finish and he’s in great form, while Max Bird’s was a moment of individual brilliance and he has the ability to do that. The second goal pleased me more than anything because it was a pattern of play that we have worked on in training day in day out. I am pleased with everyone tonight and they all deserve credit. They are engaged in the process and what we are doing, which makes my life difficult when it comes to picking the team for the match against Plymouth on Saturday.
On Giving Darren Robinson & Bartosz Cybulski Minutes…
It was important. Darren has been a delight to work with in the last year or so and he’s still only 17. You want to develop young players and he falls into that category. Bart has done well in training and applied himself well in the Under-21s matches, so it was good to see him out there. It is vital to develop the players here in terms of the future and I want to help Darren Wassall and Pat Lyons in the Academy at this club.
On Korey Smith’s Injury…
He is in a protective boot and it isn’t as bad as it looks. He actually got an injury to his toe in the first minute of coming on against Peterborough, but he carried on that’s the type of character and resilience I want in this group. He will be out for a week or ten days. He is a key part of our squad so the sooner he comes back the better.