Derby County is proud to join the football community in celebrating English Football League (EFL) Youth Development Week.
This year’s Youth Development Week takes place between 17th and 23rd March and celebrates the development of talent at clubs across the Championship, League One and League Two.
The Rams have a proud history of developing and nurturing talent and are committed to continuing to provide a pathway into the professional game.
Derby has also proved a successful location for young players to cut their teeth from Premier League clubs with the same ringing true once again this season; midfielder David Ozoh featured and impressed for the Rams in 12 appearances on loan from Crystal Palace before injury curtailed his season.
Another midfielder, Harrison Armstrong, has also made an impression in the EFL after joining Derby on deadline day in February - he netted his first senior career goal in spectacular fashion in John Eustace’s side’s 3-2 win over Plymouth last Saturday and has featured seven times so far for the Rams.
This year’s Youth Development Week lands during the March international fixture window, which also serves as a reminder of the Rams’ Academy’s prolific form in seeing players enjoy international experience while developing with the club.
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Five Academy prospects - Freddie Turley (Republic of Ireland Under-19), Darren Robinson (Northern Ireland Under-21), Daniel Cox and Cruz Allen (both Wales Under-19) and Demiane Agustien (Netherlands Under-18) - have all been called up to represent their nations once again over the March international break.
As part of the EFL’s initiative to celebrate the impact of the EFL, its clubs and competitions have on developing young players, dcfc.co.uk is highlighting a selection of stories from the past few seasons.
Liam Thompson celebrates a century in black and white
Two days before the start of the EFL’s Youth Development Week saw Academy graduate and Rams first-team midfielder Liam Thompson notch up his 100th appearance for the club.
Thompson has made 22 league appearances for Derby in the 2024/25 campaign so far and was a starter as John Eustace's side claimed a 3-2 win over Plymouth Argyle last Saturday.
The midfielder was part of the Under-18s side that secured the Under-18 Premier League trophy in the 2018/19 campaign. He entered the first team picture in the 2021/22 season, featuring 23 times as circumstances off the field saw the team consigned to relegation and League One football.
However, he was an instrumental part of the squad in the following two seasons, including making 24 appearances and scoring a crucial goal in a 3-2 success at Oxford United last season as Derby secured automatic promotion back to the second tier.
Thompson spoke about appreciating his journey at the club as an Academy Graduate in The Ram Matchday Programme earlier this season. “Being here through all the ups and downs really makes you appreciate the club and the experience more,” he said.
“Success at any club is massive, but I think it means that bit more when you've come through the ranks and have that relationship with the club, all the staff and the fans."
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Hendrick comes full circle to return to the Rams
A stand-out success story of the Academy is graduate Jeff Hendrick.
The experienced midfielder recently returned to the club where it all began for him in English football, signing up to be a part of John Eustace’s squad until the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Hendrick has made over 400 club appearances during his professional career, with 214 of those coming during his first spell at Pride Park Stadium, in addition he has 79 caps on the international stage for the Republic of Ireland and represented his national team in the 2016 UEFA European Championships.
The midfielder’s journey with the Rams began in 2008 when he joined the Academy as a scholar from St Kevin’s Boys in his home city. Men’s first-team opportunities came for Hendrick when he made his senior debut in the latter stages of the 2010/11 campaign against Burnley at Pride Park.
He began 2011/12 as a key member of Nigel Clough’s squad and scored an iconic late winner in a 2-1 success for the ten-man Derby against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on just his fifth start for the Rams. He cemented his place as part of the first team set-up for the next four seasons - including helping Derby to the Championship play-off final in 2014 and racking up 26 goals and 19 assists overall.
The midfielder joined Burnley for a club-record fee and went on to make 147 appearances in the Premier League for the Clarets and then Newcastle United over the next six seasons, as well as a number of loans to the Championship.
Cashin concluded Rams journey with Premier League switch
Centre-back Eiran Cashin left the Rams in January and joined Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.
The transfer ended the most significant chapter in his career so far, after rising through the ranks of the Derby County Academy. He signed as a scholar ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and was a key part of the team that won the Under-18 Premier League and earned qualification for the UEFA Youth League.
Cashin broke into the Men’s first-team squad halfway through the 2021/22 Championship season and solidified his place in the starting picture in League One the next year, as he made 52 appearances and was honoured with the Sammy Crooks Young Player of the Season award at the conclusion of the campaign.
He was then a stalwart in the 2023/24 promotion-winning season as the Rams secured their spot in the second tier and received recognition in the PFA League One Team of the Year as he missed just two matches in the season and was at the heart of a record-breaking defence that kept 22 clean sheets that campaign.
He was one of four Academy graduates to contribute to the promotion, alongside Liam Thompson, Max Bird and Louie Sibley.
The 23-year-old made 21 outings as the Rams returned to the Sky Bet Championship and captained the side on multiple occasions. Overall, Cashin notched 144 appearances and netted six goals in black and white.
