3/1 To Win
Derby County Under-21s fell to a 1-0 defeat away from home against Bolton Wanderers B in the Central League on Tuesday afternoon.
The Rams came into the game with a perfect record in the competition, with four wins from four matches - including a rampant 5-0 victory over Wrexham Reserves back in September and a 2-1 triumph over Salford City B at Moor Farm a month ago.
Jake Buxton had led the Under-21s throughout the season alongside Assistant Coach Keith Briggs. First Team Head Coach John Eustace revealed after the Rams’ win over Blackburn Rovers that Buxton would be joining the First Team coaching staff for the rest of the season as a link between the Academy and the First Team.
Briggs has taken over the reins for the Under-21s’ final eight games of the 2024/25 campaign.
His first match at the helm proved to be a competitive contest. Both Bolton and Derby performed a shut-out in the first half, the whistle for the break sounded with the game goalless.
The breakthrough in the game came in the 73rd minute after another close-run start to the half, with the hosts taking the lead through a strike from Mark Isong.
A tactical piece of defending from Jack Perry saw him receive a red card with five minutes of regulation time left to play as he was judged to have denied a goal scoring opportunity when he felled David Abimbola who looked to be through on goal.
The hosts held onto their advantage to hand Derby their first defeat of the season in the Central League.
Team News
Derby County Under-21: Evans (GK) (C), Perry, Gill, D Robinson, Turley, K Robinson, Stepien-Iwumene, Hawkins, Ilesanmi, Wheeldon, Moloney.
On The Bench: Shattell (GK), Agustien, Osayande, Oguntolu, Canoville.
