As important as the hard work on the training pitch is, Derby County Under-18s defender Jayden Bogle believes that the squad’s strong mind-set is what could be the difference this season.
And with the Under-18s set to take on Everton away from home on Saturday in the second fixture of the campaign, Justin Walker and Rory Delap’s side couldn’t have a better opportunity than this weekend’s game to prove that point.
The young Rams faced exactly the same challenge against the Toffees last year - and lost 6-1.
Fast forward just over six months and Derby ran out as emphatic 3-0 winners on home turf in the return fixture, demonstrating the clear ability and talent possessed within the squad.
Ahead of the challenge, Bogle spoke to dcfc.co.uk and said: “It seems like everyone is ready for the game.
“There are no moody faces in the changing room, everyone is looking forward to it and ready to go.
“From the result against Everton last season, it shows the amount of progress made by the side as a whole.
“It shows the importance of working hard and making sure that you’ve got the right mindset before a game.”
Keen to take the positives and learn from their opening fixture against Liverpool last weekend, Bogle believes that if Derby display a performance similar to the one displayed in the second half last week, they will be hard for any team to match.
After going 1-0 down against Steven Gerrard’s side in the first half, the Rams side hit back in the second half almost immediately to earn a more than deserved point against a side that Bogle rates as ‘one of the best teams in the league.’
He added: “I think in the first half, we started quick sharp and then we let them grow into the game a bit.
“In the second half, we were much better all over the pitch, worked really hard, kept the ball better and switched it up more.
“Overall, it was a good result to get a point against probably one of the best teams in the league.
“Now we just have to carry on that performance.
“Taking our chances is always the most important thing, because if we’d have taken them all then we could have come out of the Liverpool game with all three points.”
