Craig Short praised Derby County Under-23s’ fighting spirit after they came through a tough evening against Wolfsburg to open their Premier League International Cup campaign with a 1-0 win.
An own goal from Dominik Franke was enough for the three points as the Rams continued their fine run of recent form under the lights at Pride Park Stadium.
Short says that Derby knew they were in for a difficult task tonight given the German side’s recent results, and he believes that the youngsters stood up well to the test after an awkward start.
He told RamsTV: “They’re a very good side, we watched their game against Everton and they turned them over quite easily.
“In the first half an hour we were probably surprised at their aggression, we didn’t cope with it well, you expect foreign teams to be very good technically but they were very aggressive off the ball.
“We got back into the game, we started well in the second half and we showed some good resilience at the end and I think that the result was fully deserved.”
Luke Thomas was an unused substitute as the Rams’ first team beat Leeds United at Elland Road on Tuesday, and he played a key role for Darren Wassall’s side as he provided the cross that led to the winner when Franke turned the ball into his own net.
Short is sure that Thomas deserved his chance, and the Under-23s' assistant coach hopes that he can continue to provide the spark in games of few opportunities for the Under-23s.
He said: “The manager spoke to me on Tuesday morning about him going with the first team because David Nugent was ill, and being on the bench was a great experience for him. He’s performed really, really, well for the Under-23s and he deserved that chance.
“Unfortunately he didn’t get on, but he’s really excited us lately, he always looks to make something happen.
“He’s direct, but he’s not the typical academy player who plays off the cuff, and I think that he’s improved the ugly side of his game. He helps his full-backs but he always makes it look like something is going to happen, it’s exciting.”
