3/1 To Win
Adam Robinson is confident Derby County’s Under-18s can add consistency to their results and performances moving forward.
The Rams’ youngsters have had a mixed start to the season after picking up two wins and four defeats from their opening six league matches.
Six points from a possible 18 has Robinson’s side sitting in 12th place in Under-18 Premier League – North.
They started the season with an excellent 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough in August while their other victory was an impressive one, 3-1 at Liverpool in mid-September.
The Under-18s has a whole new look to it this year with 12 new scholars arriving, while nine players in the second year of their scholarships make up the squad.
Robinson, who is in his second season as the Academy’s Lead Professional Development Phase Coach, is confident the Rams will improve as the season unfolds.
After a two-week break from league action, the Under-18s head to Blackburn Rovers in their latest league fixture on Saturday (12:30pm kick-off).
“We have struggled a bit with consistency so far,” Robinson said when speaking to RamsTV in the October edition of The Academy Review Show.
“We started with a brilliant win at Middlesbrough and got a victory at Liverpool recently but otherwise we haven’t been able to get on a consistent run of form.
“We have a lot of first-years that have played a lot of minutes, so it has been a big ask of them as we’ve had a number of injuries too.
“They’ve done well overall and had to step up and at the age they are now, consistency is the biggest challenge.
“A lot of teams in our league are in a similar situation and I am sure in the long run the players will benefit in the long-term.
“We’ve had some really good performances and we just want to string them together to see them more often.
“I am confident we can climb the table in the months ahead and with a bit more consistency I am sure confidence and momentum will follow.”
One player who is technically a second year scholar but has not been with the Under-18s this term in 18-year-old Dylan Williams.
The left-back has been with the first-team since pre-season and has made six appearances at senior level.
Robinson has been impressed with the way the youngster has grasped the opportunity to impress with both hands and earn the trust of Wayne Rooney and his coaching team.
“Dylan is a second-year scholar but we’ve not seen him this year, which is crazy to think,” Robinson said. “He is a great lad and he comes down to speak to the players and staff on a regular basis, but he hasn’t trained with us once.
“He has always been a good performer at Academy level and one of his biggest attributes are his energy and attitude. You know what you are going to get from him.
“We talk to the players here about the manager picking you if he trusts you and that is the case with Dylan.
“The staff trust him to play in big games and we saw that with his first league start coming at West Bromwich Albion recently.”
He concluded: “Dylan has always been one of our top performers in the past and he’s embraced the opportunity given to him. He’s grabbed it with both hands.”
