Derby County Under-18s will be looking to extend their winning run in Premier League - North this Saturday when they travel to face Stoke City, kick-off 11am.
The Rams were buoyed by a superb 3-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend that saw them replace their opponents at the top of the league and record their seventh consecutive league win.
It proved to be a competitive clash between two talented teams and Derby had to call on both the attacking flair and the defensive resilience in their side.
Two second-half goals from Morgan Whittaker proved decisive but the home defence also had to stand strong to thwart the visitors’ attacks.
After the game, manager Justin Walker challenged his side to keep the high standards that they have shown for the rest of the season.
Speaking to dcfc.co.uk, he said: “At the end of the day, I think it’s credit to our lads that we are competing with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton.
“We know where we are, but we can’t take any shortcuts.
“We must keep working hard every single day to make sure we are staying with those clubs in terms of performance and standards.”
The Rams last faced Stoke back in October and managed a 2-0 victory at the Derby County Training Centre.
A first-half strike from Lee Buchanan opened the scoring and the three points were confirmed by Tyree Wilson, who added a second after half-time.
