3/1 To Win
Derby County Under-23s will travel to Clay Cross Town in the Third Round Derbyshire Senior Cup on Wednesday evening (7:45pm kick-off).
The Rams travel to the 'We Do More Than Print' Stadium (Postcode - S42 6AD) to face the Millers in the Third Round tie.
Clay Cross Town, who play in the Black Dragon Badges South Division, have started their season brightly and current sit second in the table.
They have won six and drawn one of their seven games so far this season, whilst the Rams sit second in Premier League 2 - Division 1.
The winners of the tie will face New Mills FC in the Quarter Final of the competition.
The Senior Challenge Cup is the county competition for all clubs playing in the National League System.
Teams playing at Step 5 to Step 7 enter in Round 1 and clubs at Step 4 up to Step 1 and the professional game enter at Round 3.
It is the first time that Derby County has taken part in the competition for a number of years, with the Rams last lifting the trophy back in 2010/11.
Taking part in the competition, alongside the various Under-23 competitions, will continue to provide a platform for the players looking to make the step up to the first-team scene.
Speaking ahead of the game, Under-23s coach Craig Short said: "Our players will have to be at it because it is a completely different experience. What’s good for us is that we can play some of the boys who haven’t played too much this season and it will be a totally new experience for some of them.
“We are lucky because we have a really good games programme and every week we are preparing for a game, like the first-team squad.
“As soon as we got into this league, the top flight of Premier League 2, it has been every week. We are really pleased that we don’t ever go two weeks without a game really, that is brilliant for us.
“When we have players who aren’t getting games, they need to get game time. You can’t really share it out during the season because those lads who are doing well should keep their place, like a first-team.
“If you are playing well, you should be in the team because you are trying to get to the next level and maintain our career.”
Want to know more about the competition? Visit the Derbyshire FA's website here: derbyshirefa.com.
