3/1 To Win
It’s fair to say there were plenty of encouraging signs for Frank Lampard to take away from Derby County’s 2-0 victory against Ipswich Town on Tuesday evening.
Midfielder Joe Ledley got the ball rolling with a deflected long-range strike on the hour mark before Tom Lawrence doubled the Rams’ advantage soon afterwards direct from a free-kick.
A first home win of the campaign at Pride Park Stadium and a clean sheet were certainly welcome for the Derby boss - while he was also keen to compliment his players for their patient approach against an organised Ipswich outfit.
Another pleasing aspect to take away from the game was the performance of 18-year-old Jayden Bogle.
The right-back was making his third successive first-team appearance after being named in the starting line-up for the Carabao Cup First Round tie at Oldham Athletic and the Sky Bet Championship trip to Millwall last week.
The Academy graduate produced an assured performance on his Pride Park bow and he earned praise from his manager.
Speaking to RamsTV, Lampard said: “Jayden Bogle was excellent and right up there as a contender for the Man of the Match award.
“His attitude is really impressive, and he is a humble lad at the age of just 18 as well. He works really hard and he has done well in the three games in which he’s started.
“The maturity in his performance has been there, with and without the ball, and he has handled being thrown into the side really well.
“He has deserved his opportunity because he did very well during pre-season. It’s not always an easy process for young players to go straight in to the first-team environment but if Jayden plays like he did on Tuesday then he has a future.”
Bogle wasn’t the only Academy product in Derby’s starting line-up in midweek.
Forward Mason Bennett made his first start of the campaign against the Tractor Boys off the back of an eye-catching pre-season and some impressive displays off the bench.
Another player from the Rams’ youth system, Max Lowe, was also an unused substitute.
Lampard, since his appointment at the end of May, has made it clear that he is prepared to give youth a chance.
He said: “I want to help with the Academy and bring players through at this club. The fans can relate to it and it’s great for Derby County if we can do that.
“Obviously the players have to be good enough, of course, and understand what it takes.
“Jayden has that understanding and so do Max Lowe and Mason Bennett as well, on top of a few other young lads we’re trying to integrate around the squad.”
