Derby County’s Under 21s will return to pre-season action this morning with a trip to face Barclays Under 21 Premier League Division One side Leicester City.
Derby County’s Under 21s will return to pre-season action this morning with a trip to face Barclays Under 21 Premier League Division One side Leicester City.
Darren Wassall’s side will travel to face the Foxes at their Belvoir Drive Training Ground, with kick-off scheduled for 11:00am.
The Rams have also pencilled in a fixture against Dunkirk on Saturday, for a Development Side, to be played at their Ron Steel Sports Ground, Lenton Lane, with kick-off scheduled for 3:00pm.
The two fixtures mean that Wassall is likely to mix up the club’s Under 21 and Under 18 squads once again.
The two encounters follow a week after a young Rams side, with each player getting 45 minutes each, playing out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Belper Town at their Christchurch Meadow home.
Featuring a mix of Under 21s and Under 18s, Wassall’s side recovered from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw from their opening encounter.
It is expected that Derby’s Academy Manager will opt for a similar squad this time around, whilst the fixture with the Foxes will give him a chance to further analyse two trialists currently working to earn a deal with the club.
Although both the Rams and Leicester are recognised Category One status outfits, Steve Beaglehole’s Foxes ply their trade in Division One and secured a top eight finish following a stand-out second half to the season.
Leicester fell to only three defeats from the middle of January to the end of the season as they secured their place in International Premier League Cup competition for the 2015/16 campaign.
Nottinghamshire-based Dunkirk, who ply their trade in the Midland Football Alliance, have won all three of their previous pre-season fixtures ahead of this weekend's meeting with the Rams.
Updates from the fixture, as well as team news, pictures and goals, can be seen across Derby County’s official Twitter account, @dcfcofficial, whilst a full report of how Wassall’s men get on in their second and third pre-season fixture can be seen across dcfc.co.uk following the full time whistle.
