3/1 To Win
After roaring back to claim a draw last Monday, Pat Lyons has challenged Derby County’s Under-23s to produce a ‘90-minute display’ when they face Birmingham City in the Premier League Cup.
From 3-1 down, the Rams scored twice late on – thanks to Luke Thomas and an own goal – to claim a point against in-form Swansea City at St George’s Park.
It might not have been pretty, but Lyons, Derby’s senior professional development phase coach, was delighted with how the players rolled their sleeves up and found a way to get back into a game that had, seemingly, slipped away from them.
“When you’re playing the in-form team, one that has won four games on the trot and they are 3-1 up against you, it’s easy to think that it’s going to be difficult to get back into the game,” he told RamsTV.
“We hadn’t created a lot of chances – it wasn’t that type of game – but we rolled our sleeves up and found a way to get back into the game.
“That second goal gave us a massive lift to go and get the equaliser. It sets us up nicely for the Birmingham game and we now have to back it up and get a positive result.”
Those two goals meant the post-match mood was completely different and Lyons now wants Derby’s Under-23s to channel that into their next outing, against Birmingham City.
A return to winning ways will see the Rams take a giant stride towards qualification for the knockout stages of the Premier League Cup.
With that in mind, Lyons knows it’s a big game.
“This is a competition we want to progress in,” he said. “We have got ourselves to the halfway stage and we’re joint top.
“In that sense, it is a big game for us. It was a tough match the last time we played them, when we nicked a 1-0 win, and we’re expecting just as tough a game this time around.
“It’s not pressure. You have to look at performances to see if the players are worthy of getting three points and there has been times where they haven’t, but by the same token, there have been times when we have deserved more.
“What we need to do, on Monday, is put a 90-minute performance together.
“At that moment, we are doing playing well in spells and halves, but now it’s about showing everything for one whole game on Monday night.”
