3/1 To Win
Danny Maye praised the mentality of Derby County’s Under-18s as they hit back from a goal down to beat Middlesbrough 4-1 in the Under-18 Premier League - North on Saturday.
In their first outing of 2024, the Rams fell behind just before the half-hour mark, but a Justin Oguntolu double, a fine Billy Gough strike and a captain's goal from Luke Banks meant Derby ran out 4-1 winners at Moor Farm Training Ground.
It meant back-to-back victories for the Under-18s, who rounded off 2023 with a 6-0 rout of Nottingham Forest in late December.
Maye was impressed with how his side stormed back from a slow start and said: “These moments are an important part of the players’ journeys; you’re not always going to have it your own way.
“I thought we were poor for 20 minutes, but we managed to stay in it and after that we were very good.
“It was pleasing to see the team respond in the right way to going behind. We were quite negative for the first 20 minutes, we tended to go backwards a lot, but you could see a real change after their goal. We started playing and running more, going after them and it pushed them back.”
Maye’s side now sit fourth in the league standings after recording back-to-back wins for only the second time this season.
The Lead Under-18 Coach believes some of the side’s performances in recent months have deserved more.
He said: “Performance wise, we’ve been good for quite a period of time. There’s been games where we haven’t seen opponents off and been clinical enough. But I think today was one like the Forest game before Christmas, where we were clinical.”
Maye was pleased with how his side did the basics and added: “The most important thing is you can really relate the performance to is the way they ran. It seems simple, but the way we pressed today, the way we ran in behind and with a young team as well, was pleasing.”
As the Under-21s played at Fulham on Friday night, going down to a late 2-1 loss in Premier League 2, the Under-18s fielded a younger-than-usual side, but Maye was delighted with how they coped:
He said: “Two Under-16s players ended up on the pitch, with one playing the whole game. With a team of mostly first year scholars and one second year, it shows the pathway here at Derby County.
“The players all ran for each other, you could really see the identity; a high pressing team, and when we had the ball, we were calm and composed. We looked fluid, it was a really pleasing performance.”
Derby were without regular goalscorers Lennon Wheeldon and Dajaune Brown, who both featured for the Under-21s at Fulham, with the latter on target for Jake Buxton’s side.
However, with six different players contributing to the Under-18s’ goals, Maye was understandably delighted to see other individuals step up.
“It’s an important part of any Academy, but especially Derby County, when players do well that they get an opportunity to play with the Under-21s, and then hopefully the first team,” Maye said.
“To see them (Wheeldon and Brown) stepping up and doing well with the Under-21s has been a highlight not just for the staff, but the players and the club as well.”
The Rams will look to continue their good form, with a trip to the blue side of Manchester up next on Saturday 27th January (12:30pm kick-off).
Maye says his players should make the journey north in a positive mindset and he explained: “It’s the level we want to be competing at. These are the top Academies in the world, to play against some of the best players in the world is a brilliant experience.
“These are the games the lads should look forward to, and not play with any fear – really try and take our game to them.”
Words: Will Stanier
