Derby County’s first run-out of their 2025/26 pre-season programme against Matlock Town ended in a 1-1 draw at the Proctor Cars Stadium on Saturday.

Rams Head Coach John Eustace got minutes into the legs of 22 players with different line-ups named in first half and second half in front of a sold-out crowd.

Derby's matchday squad included a variety of young Academy players, especially in the second half with seven individuals from the youth set-up looking to make an impression on Eustace and his coaching staff.

Pitching In Northern Premier League - East Division side Matlock offered a good test for the Rams, who dominated the control of the match under 30-degree heat in the Derbyshire town.

Winger Corey Blackett-Taylor had the ball in the back of the net for Derby in the first half, but he was denied by the offside flag.

A penalty against the run of play in the second period saw Matlock captain Liam Ravenhill score from the spot, only for Academy midfielder Harry Hawkins’ late goal for Derby see the match end level.

Key Moments

It was Matlock’s second game of their pre-season, with the Gladiators having beaten Sky Bet League Two side Chesterfield 2-1 a week earlier.

Derby started brightly and remained in control in the opening half. Isaac Gordon, the Rams’ Under-21s right-back, began impressively and latched onto Matt Clarke’s precise ball from deep into the penalty area, but the Academy man couldn’t convert it into a shot.

A tidy move that began with a popped pass out from goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterström to Matt Clarke in the 16th minute shifted forwards quickly to see Ben Osborn and Blackett-Taylor combine and look dangerous.

Blackett-Taylor surged down the wing, but his delivery into the box was defended well by the Gladiators.

Moments later, Kayden Jackson crossed from the right flank and saw the ball flash across the face of the goal, but the delivery was left without connection as it sailed through a packed penalty area.

Derby thought they had opened the scoring in the 26th minute as Kenzo Goudmijn played a low ball to the far post for Blackett-Taylor to tap in, but the offside flag denied the winger with a marginal call.

Midfielder Osborn floated a free kick into the path of centre-forward Kemar Roofe, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper on the half-hour mark. However, an unruly bounce off the turf meant Matlock shot-stopper Myles Boney could smother the chance.

Zetterström’s first action of the match came in the 32nd minute when he got down quickly to collect a low strike from Gladiators winger Jez Milambo, the hosts' best chance of the half up to that point.

Osborn played another pass over the top for Roofe, this time from open play, but the ball dropped onto the head of the striker and was gathered by Boney.

The first 45 minutes ended goalless and the changes were rung for Derby at the break. A young line-up entered the field in the second half with Josh Vickers, Erik Pieters, Craig Forsyth and Liam Thompson the senior heads in the side.

Full-back Freddie Turley drove forward immediately from kick-off for the Rams, as he skipped beyond multiple players to break into the penalty area. He held his shot off and squared the ball to striker Charles Agbawodikeizu, whose shot was blocked by the defence and Hawkins’ follow-up effort sailed just over the crossbar.

Midfielder Cruz Allen tried an inventive effort in the 53rd minute after he latched onto Forsyth’s floated near-post pass with a spinning leg. He connected and sent it just wide of the mark.

Thompson troubled the goalkeeper with a free-kick from around 20 yards out in the 65th minute. The midfielder lined up and struck around the wall to force a string save by Boney in the Matlock goal.

A smart high ball from defender Jake Rooney dissected the Gladiators' defence in the 70th minute. The pass found Agbawodikeizu, who attempted to control the ball but couldn’t direct it on goal.

Matlock were awarded a penalty with 12 minutes to go in the game after Allen was judged to have felled Milambo inside the box. Captain Ravenhill took advantage as he converted a hard-struck penalty down the middle to open the scoring.

A ball from Thompson found the head of Tristan Gill at the far post, who steered the ball towards goal in the 84th minute. His effort was saved and deflected into strier Lennon Wheeldon’s path, but his quick effort was saved by the goalkeeper.

Allen’s free kick two minutes later found the head of Pieters at the far post, but his effort went wide. Welsh youth international Allen was once again impactful in the last minute of the game as he won a free-kick from close range, but his effort struck the defensive wall.

There was still time for one more key moment, though. A late free-kick from Allen was headed across goal by Rooney at the far post and midfielder Hawkins, who impressed on loan at AFC Telford United last season, steered the ball into the net from close range to earn Derby a draw.

That proved to be the last action of the afternoon, with the final whistle sounding seconds later to end Derby's first pre-season run out.

Derby County First Half XI: Zetterström (GK), I.Gordon, Batth, Clarke, Elder, Goudmijn, Osborn, Adams (C), Jackson, Blackett-Taylor, Roofe.

Derby County Second Half XI: Vickers (GK), Turley, Rooney, Pieters, Forsyth, Hawkins, Thompson, Allen, Wheeldon, T.Gill, Agbawodikeizu.

Unused Substitutes: Evans (GK), Perry.