Rory Delap on Derby County’s Under 18s squad to ‘show more bravery’ following their 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers yesterday.
Rory Delap on Derby County’s Under 18s squad to ‘show more bravery’ following their 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers yesterday.
In the Rams’ second home fixture of the 2015/16 Barclays Under 18 Premier League – North campaign, two goals – one early and the other late in the first half – left Justin Walker and Delap’s side still waiting for their first win.
After what was a disappointing first half the Rams, Derby put in a much improved second half performance with the opportunity to hit back on a number of occasions – however it was not to be as Blackburn took all three points upon the final whistle.
Rovers took the lead just three minutes into the game after headed effort from the son of Preston North End manager, Joe Grayson found the back of the net.
As the first half progressed on, Derby looked to push Blackburn on the back foot. However a sucker-punch goal for the Rovers through Joel Steer was what secured victory for his side – ending Derby’s undefeated record at home this season.
Speaking to dcfc.co.uk after the game, Delap said: “Getting caught after three minutes knocks you back a little bit but we had a chance to stop that goal and a couple of the lads are disappointed with how the ball got to the lad who finished it off.
“We started to get into the game and we got on the front foot towards half time but that second goal killed us really.
“We had to come out and push for a goal in that first 10-15 minutes of the Second half to gain a bit of momentum – unfortunately for us we didn’t get that today.
Despite the game’s outcome, their were positives to take for sure – which Delap also commented on.
He added: “I was pleased with some of the set plays we had today – the delivery has been spot on and it is something that we have been working on in training.
“We’ve to show a little bit more bravery and aggression – someone might end up getting hurt but someone’s got to go and put themselves on the end of the ball.”
Looking ahead, Derby’s Under 18s now face opposition against massive clubs, Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.
Rory Delap believes the two fixtures represent a test for his players to come up against some of the country’s best up and coming talent.
Delap said: “You’d like to think that these are the best academies in the country with the amount of money and facilities that these teams have – so it’s a test to see how the lads can stand up to the challenge and what level they are at compared to academy players at such huge premier league clubs.
“We have to be mentally prepared to go to these places and still play our game.”
