March Round-Up: First Team, Under-21s, Under-18s And Ewe Rams

March was another of ups and downs in Sky Bet League One for Derby County.

Despite not picking up the points they wanted over the course of the month, the most important thing for Head Coach Paul Warne is that they did close out March still sat in the play-off places and with their fate in their own hands.

Here, dcfc.co.uk has taken a look back at how the month unfolded…

04/03 - Derby County 2-2 Shrewsbury Town

March started off in frustrating fashion for Paul Warne and his side with a 2-2 draw at home to fellow play-off chasers Shrewsbury Town.

The Rams had cruised into a 2-0 lead at half-time thanks to a sensational strike from defender Haydon Roberts and yet another goal for striker David McGoldrick.

But the visitors came out fighting in the second half and a difficult 20 minute spell saw them draw level with goals from Tom Bayliss and a penalty from Luke Leahy.

Derby had several chances to find a winner but ultimately were unable to do so and the points were shared.

07/03 – Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Derby County

The following Tuesday brought with it not only one of the biggest games of the month but one of the biggest of the season - a trip to second placed Plymouth Argyle.

An incredible 1,600 Rams fans made the 500 mile round trip for a televised 8pm kick-off at Home Park and saw Derby go in front in the first half through Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

The Rams were full value for their lead at the break but, like the game with the Shrews, found themselves once again pegged back in the second half.

Callum Wright levelled things up with a fortunate deflection and then a dubious penalty was awarded to the hosts which allowed Ryan Hardie to step up and complete the turnaround.

11/03 – Oxford United 2-3 Derby County

Derby’s second road trip of the month brought with it a welcome three points at Oxford United.

After falling behind early doors to a Sam Long goal, a few pulses once again started racing but, luckily, it wasn’t for long.

Louie Sibley, back in an attacking midfield role, scored two fantastic goals before the break to turn the game on its head.

Striker James Collins then did enough to pressure Long into heading into his own net midway through the second half and give the Rams some breathing room.

Kyle Joseph scored a last-minute consolation to get nerves jangling again slightly but Derby stood strong and saw the game out in a professional fashion and picked up their first three points of March.

18/03 – Derby County 0-2 Fleetwood Town

Fleetwood Town became the first side that Derby had failed to score against this season when they visited Pride Park Stadium in the final home game of March.

After the 0-0 draw at the start of the campaign, the Rams were hoping to follow that up with victory this time around - but it wasn’t to be.

A below-par first-half showing saw Warne’s side go in 2-0 down at the break.

Warne used four substitutes before the 46th minute in a bid to swing momentum but the visitors held on to inflict a first league defeat on the Rams at Pride Park Stadium in almost six months.

25/03 – Peterborough United 2-0 Derby County

The month closed out with the Rams suffering a second successive defeat - the first time that this had occurred since September.

It was a classic game of two halves as Warne’s men dominated the opening 45 minutes without being able to find a breakthrough.

The Posh were always going to come out stronger in the second half and that they did. Whilst the Rams didn't perform badly, the home side were simply more clinical and took their chances when they came.

Ephron Mason-Clark and Nathanael Ogbeta the scorers as Peterborough moved to within one point of Derby in the Sky Bet League One play-off race.

Derby County Under-21s

It was a complete contrast between league and cup form for Derby County's Under-21s throughout March.

Four defeats in the Premier League 2 - Division 2 didn’t stop Pat Lyons' side from excelling in the Derbyshire Senior Cup and ultimately progressing to the Final in April.

Kido Taylor-Hart scored a hat-trick and Darren Robinson scored a last-minute equaliser in what was a thrilling 5-5 draw with Alfreton Town in an action-packed Quarter Final. A draw after 90 minutes meant that the game went straight to penalties and the young Rams showed a calmness above their years to make it a perfect five from five from the spot to set up a Semi Final clash with Belper Town.

Like the quarters, the Semi Final was just as tightly contested. Osazee Aghatise scored twice, before being sent off, and Carlos Richards added a third as Lyons’ troops edged past the Nailers 3-2 and set up a final against National League - North outfit Buxton at Pride Park.

01/03 - Alfreton Town 5-5 Derby County Under-21s (3-5 on penalties)

06/03 - Leeds United Under-21s 3-0 Derby County Under-21s

14/03 - Belper Town 2-3 Derby County Under-21s

20/03 - Derby County Under-21s 1-6 Stoke City Under-21s

24/03 - Derby County Under-21s 1-5 Middlesbrough Under-21s

31/03 - Derby County Under-21s 1-3 Southampton Under-21s

Derby County Under-18s

It was a mixed bag for Jake Buxton’s Under-18s, who won one and lost one over the course of March.

A double from Dajaune Brown as well as goals from Jaydan Davidson and Carlos Richards saw the month open with a hugely impressive 4-1 win over Newcastle United Under-18s before they were narrowly edged out 1-0 by Middlesbrough Under-18s in the second and final fixture of the month.

04/03 - Derby County Under-18s 4-1 Newcastle United Under-18s

18/03 - Middlesbrough Under-18s 1-0 Derby County Under-18s

Derby County Women

March brought to an end the brilliant six-game winning run that Derby County Women had put together at the start of 2023.

The month started well with victory over Huddersfield Town Women but ended with back-to-back defeats against the league’s top two.

Arguably the most impressive thing for Ewe Rams over the course of the month was, despite defeat against Forest, they broke the attendance record for a women's game at Pride Park Stadium with over 5,000 fans packing into the East Stand.