Darren Wassall was disappointed that Derby County’s Under-23s couldn’t put the seal on a fantastic 2017 by guaranteeing qualification to the knock-out stage of the Premier League International Cup last night.
The Rams were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb in their final game in Group C, and they will now have to wait until January to learn whether they have reached the next stage as one of the best runners-up.
Wassall, Derby’s Academy Director, admitted that it was a poor way to end what has been a hugely successful 12 months for the Under-23s.
He told RamsTV: “We didn’t compete well enough, we pride ourselves on earning the right to play and winning our duels, but we were second best all over the pitch in the first half.
“It’s a disappointing way to end 2017 because over the first four or five months of the season, the performances have been very good indeed.
“However, you have to hold your hand up tonight and say that the first half wasn’t good enough in all aspects of our play, and that’s what has lost us the game.
“They deserved the victory tonight so we have to wait and see if we’re one of the two best runners-up, so we don’t know if it’s going to be good enough.”
Derby’s form has improved massively in the first half of this season, and after narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of the last campaign, Wassall’s side have claimed some impressive scalps and now sit comfortably in midtable in Premier League 2 – Division One.
Wassall is thrilled with the level that the team has shown over the past year, and he picked out his highlight of 2017.
He said: “To beat Southampton and Chelsea at the end of last season was a great achievement and it kept us in the division, which is important because we want to play against the very best.
“For us to be in Premier League 2 – Division One is a brilliant achievement, it’s a credit to the players that we have got at the club and they’ve done themselves proud for most of the season.
“We’ve proved that we can compete with the top clubs in this country, which is really pleasing.”
Five Academy graduates have made their first team bow this year, and Wassall explained the aims for the young players coming through the system as we enter 2018.
He added: “We want our young players to have as many great experiences as possible and forge a career in the game, whether that’s here at Derby County or at another club.
“Not everybody will make our first team, not everyone will play for Derby for the next 15 years, but we hope that we’ve got enough players that can survive in this game, wherever that may be.”
