Up until last weekend, it had almost been the perfect start for Derby County’s Under-18s.
Two wins and a draw from their first three games saw them enter last weekend’s fixture against Manchester United unbeaten, however, Connor Dixon believes that their subsequent 2-0 defeat against the Red Devils was a harsh, but valuable, lesson learnt by the side.
In terms of the game itself, Angel Gomes and Nishan Burkart were on target for the visitors either side of the half-time interval to take the spoils in a game of very few chances.
After a good week of training, Dixon believes that the side are looking as sharp as ever, and just in time for their latest test in the newly-formed Premier League Cup against Swansea City away from home.
Speaking to review last weekend’s game and to preview their next test, the energetic midfielder told dcfc.co.uk: “I think as a team, we’ve done really well in the past four games, even considering the fact that we did lose against Manchester United last time out.
“Against Manchester United, I think we learnt a harsh lesson that we aren’t going to win every single game. There are going to be backwards steps and it’s about how we keep moving forward.
“Since that game, in training we have looked positive and are back working hard. Hopefully, that will stand us in good stead when we take on Swansea.
“Last week’s game took us a bit by surprise, but now is all about how we bounce back.
“The Premier League Cup is a good opportunity for the lads to progress onto the next round and get to play the better teams to ultimately go as far as we can in the competition.”
In terms of his own progression, Dixon feels that his first season as a scholar with the Under-18s has got off to a largely positive start.
The box-to-box midfielder believes that he has developed a great deal since reporting for pre-season training and says the Premier League Cup is a big opportunity for him and his team mates to make a name for themselves.
Looking ahead to the cup, he said: “Since coming back, I feel as though I’ve done alright.
“I feel like I have definitely developed as a player through doing extras and my confidence is gaining from playing more games in midfield.
“I’m playing more simple which is a lot more effective to my game and now I just have to carry on with that.
“The cup is a great opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves and hopefully it will help us get to the point where other clubs fear Derby when they play us.
“We haven’t set a target as such, we just want to win every game that we have in front of us.
“These are good times to show exactly what we’re made of.”
