3/1 To Win
Ivan Calero has called on Derby County’s Under 21s to be on the front foot from the first whistle when they face West Ham United this evening.
Ivan Calero has called on Derby County’s Under 21s to be on the front foot from the first whistle when they face West Ham United this evening.
Darren Wassall’s table topping side resume their Barclays Under 21 Premier League – Division 2 campaign by making the trip to the Hammers’ Rush Green training ground (kick-off: 7pm).
The Rams will be looking for an immediate return to winning ways after they exited the Under 21 Premier League Cup at the Round of 32 stage following a 2-1 loss to Wolves in Telford.
The international break proceeded that fixture and Calero, the Spaniard, admits that the he and the squad have been itching to get back to winning ways.
Speaking to dcfc.co.uk, the 20-year-old said: “It was a hard game. Wolves worked so hard from start to finish and they had a lot of good, experienced, players on the pitch.
“We wanted to keep the unbeaten run going and we pushed them right to the very end, but we just couldn’t get that equalising goal that would have taken the game to extra time.
“The worst thing for us is that we have had to wait two weeks for an opportunity to get over that game against Wolves because of the international break. It always make those breaks feel longer, so we there is an incentive there for us when we play West Ham.
“Over the last few days, since all coming back together after a short break, we have been building towards the game.
“The lads have been really sharp in training and we have all been looking forward to the game.”
Calero, though, believes that the squad have to start much quicker than they did against Wolves two weeks ago.
Derby’s Under 21s are unbeaten in six league fixtures – five of which have been victories – and Calero insists it is important that the side do not give the Hammers any early incentive this evening.
He added: “We have been working so hard since the first day of the season and that has been the biggest factor behind our unbeaten league run.
“We didn’t start for very well against Wolves. They were the better for the first 15 minutes and we started to build up after that.
“We moved the ball quickly, created some opportunities and going into half time we deserved to be level.
“How we performed during that period is how we need to be starting every game. If we do that, we win a lot more games.
“We have to start well, build up and just keep that going right to the very end. We are expecting another tough game from West Ham and it’s important we don’t give them any early incentive to get a grip of the game.”
