Sat 13 Sep - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 7mins
Derby County are proud to join the football community in celebrating the English Football League’s 2025/26 Youth Development Week.
This season’s Youth Development Week takes place between 12th and 19th September 2025 and celebrates the development of talent at clubs across the EFL’s leagues; the Championship, League One and League Two.
Since moving to Pride Park Stadium in the summer of 1997, a major period in Derby County’s history, the club has seen several players progress through its Academy set-up and into the first team.
In total some 76 players from the youth system, either from Under-21 or Under-18 level, or in some cases below, have made their competitive debuts since 1997.
Some made one or just a handful of appearances, whereas others have gone on to establish themselves as regulars in the Rams’ first team and beyond.
A number have gone on to play at a higher level in the Premier League, in Europe and in some cases on the international stage.
We look at the key impacts made in a Derby County shirt from some of those 76 players since 1997.
Midfielder Jeff Hendrick quickly made himself a hero at Derby County by scoring his first-ever career goal in a memorable 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest in September 2011, which the Rams played almost entirely with ten men, only months after making his professional debut.
Hendrick made 214 appearances and scored 26 times in Derby colours before leaving for Burnley in the summer of 2016. He later returned for a brief spell during the 2024/25 season but didn’t add to his appearance total despite being a substitute on several occasions.
The midfielder also represented the Republic of Ireland at the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France, the first player to have come from the club’s modern-day youth system to appear in a major tournament.
Young attacker Mason Bennett has two places in Derby County’s history books.
Bennett, at just 15 years and 99 days old, became the club's youngest-ever player when he started in a 2-0 loss at Middlesbrough in October 2011.
The youngster scored his first goal in Rams colours in a 5-0 home win over Tranmere Rovers in the FA Cup Third Round in January 2013, becoming the club’s youngster-ever goalscorer at 16 years and 174 days of age.
In total, he made 89 appearances and scored six times for Derby prior to departing in 2020.
Four players from the club’s Academy system played an integral role in Derby County’s promotion from League One during the 2023/24 season.
Defender Eiran Cashin, midfield pair Liam Thompson and Max Bird and the versatile Louie Sibley heavily contributed to the Rams’ success on the field in the campaign.
Between them they racked up 139 appearances and 13 goals, with Bird scoring the crucial opener in the 2-0 home win over Carlisle United on the final end of the campaign at a sold out at Pride Park Stadium.
Cashin’s performances during the season saw him named in the EFL’s League One Team of the Season.
Attacking midfielder Giles Barnes appeared 95 times for Derby County, scoring 13 times, between 2005/06 and 2009/10.
He starred under Billy Davies in the 2006/07 season and scored eight times from 46 appearances in all competitions.
Barnes also set up the winning goal in the Championship Play-Off Final against West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium in May 2007, crossing for Stephen Pearson to score the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Rams.
Defender Chris Riggott and midfielder Will Hughes are the only two players to have come through Derby’s youth system to get their hands on the prestigious Jack Stamps Player of the Year award since the 1980s.
Defender Riggott, who made 100 appearances for the club and scored seven goals between 2000 and 2003, won the accolade in the 2000/01 Premier League campaign. He had a brief spell back at the club in 2011 but failed to make an appearance.
Midfielder Hughes, who appeared 187 times and scored on 12 occasions between 2011 and 2016, won the award for his displays in the 2014/15 season.
The previous recipient from the youth set-up before Riggott was goalkeeper Steve Cherry in the 1982/83 campaign, while the previous outfield player from the club’s youth system to claim the accolade before Riggott and Hughes was Steve Powell in 1978/79.
Steve Elliott
First Team Debut: 16th September 1997 against Southend United
Adam Murray
First Team Debut: 17th April 1999 against West Ham United
Marvin Robinson
First Team Debut: 2nd May 1999 against Arsenal
Chris Riggott
First Team Debut: 14th May 2000 against Chelsea
Ian Evatt
First Team Debut: 18th May 2001 against Ipswich Town
Lee Grant
First Team Debut: 7th September 2002 against Burnley
Pablo Mills
First Team Debut: 14th December 2002 Against Brighton & Hove Albion
Lee Camp
First Team Debut: 26th April 2003 against Walsall
Marcus Tudgay
First Team Debut: 13th August 2002 against Gillingham
Lee Holmes
First Team Debut: 26th December 2002 against Grimsby Town
Tom Huddlestone
First Team Debut: 9th August 2003 against Stoke City
Nathan Doyle
First Team Debut: 1st November 2003 against Preston North End
Lewin Nyatanga
First Team Debut: 24th August 2005 Vs Grimsby Town
Giles Barnes
First Team Debut: 24th August 2005 against Grimsby Town
Miles Addison
First Team Debut: 17th April 2006 against Hull City
Jason Beardsley
First Team Debut: 28th August 2007 against Blackpool
Arnaud Mendy
First Team Debut: 3rd October 2009 against Sheffield Wednesday
Greg Mills
First Team Debut: 20th October 2009 against Middlesbrough
James Severn
First Team Debut: 22nd February 2011 against Hull City
Mark O’Brien
First Team Debut: 3rd May 2009 against Watford
Callum Ball
First Team Debut: 2nd May 2010 against Cardiff City
Ryan Connolly
First Team Debut: 2nd May 2010 against Cardiff City
Jeff Hendrick
First Team Debut: 23rd April 2011 against Burnley
Ross Atkins
First Team Debut: 7th May 2011 against Reading
Mason Bennett
First Team Debut: 22nd October 2011 against Middlesbrough
Will Hughes
First Team Debut: 5th November 2011 against Peterborough United
Kwame Thomas
First Team Debut: 29th November 2014 against Leeds United
Jamie Hanson
First Team Debut: 14th March 2015 against Norwich City
Jonathan Mitchell
First Team Debut: 9th January 2016 against Hartlepool United
Max Lowe
First Team Debut: 23rd August 2016 against Carlisle United
Timi Max-Elsnik
First Team Debut: 23rd August 2016 against Carlisle United
Charles Vernam
First Team Debut: 7th January 2017 against West Bromwich Albion
Kellan Gordon
First Team Debut: 22nd August 2017 against Grimsby Town
Max Bird
First Team Debut: 12th September 2017 against Barnsley
Callum Guy
First Team Debut: 12th September 2017 against Barnsley
Luke Thomas
First Team Debut: 21st November 2017 against Queens Park Rangers
Jayden Bogle
First Team Debut: 14th August 2018 against Oldham Athletic
Jayden Mitchell-Lawson
First Team Debut: 13th March 2019 against Stoke City
Jason Knight
First Team Debut: 5th August 2019 against Huddersfield Town
Lee Buchanan
First Team Debut: 13th August 2019 against Scunthorpe United
Louie Sibley
First Team Debut: 13th August 2019 against Scunthorpe United
Morgan Whittaker
First Team Debut: 13th August 2019 against Scunthorpe United
Jordan Brown
First Team Debut: 8th July 2020 against West Bromwich Albion
Jamal Hector-Ingram
First Team Debut: 8th July 2020 against West Bromwich Albion
Jack Stretton
First Team Debut: 28th November 2020 against Wycombe Wanderers
Kornell McDonald
First Team Debut: 9th December 2020 against Brentford
Louie Watson
First Team Debut: 29th December 2020 against Birmingham City
Kaide Gordon
First Team Debut: 29th December 2020 against Birmingham City
Matt Yates
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Max Bardell
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Dylan Williams
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Harrison Solomon
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Hugo Jinkinson
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Joe Bateman
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Osazee Aghatise
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Liam Thompson
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Bobby Duncan
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Isaac Hutchinson
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Cameron Cresswell
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Festy Ebosele
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Bartosz Cybulski
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Olamide Ibrahim
First Team Debut: 9th January 2021 against Chorley
Marko Borkovic
First Team Debut: 24th August 2021 against Sheffield United
Luke Plange
First Team Debut: 4th December 2021 against Bristol City
Eiran Cashin
First Team Debut: 11th December 2021 against Blackpool
Malcolm Ebiowei
First Team Debut: 8th February 2022 against Hull City
Carlos Richards
First Team Debut: 15th April 2022 against Fulham
Darren Robinson
First Team Debut: 23rd April 2022 against Bristol City
Dajaune Brown
First Team Debut: 8th August 2023 against Blackpool
Ben Radcliffe
First Team Debut: 19th September 2023 against Lincoln City
Adebayo Fapetu
First Team Debut: 8th November 2023 against Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
Tony Weston
First Team Debut: 8th November 2023 against Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
Dan Cox
First Team Debut: 8th November 2023 against Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
Lennon Wheeldon
First Team Debut: 8th November 2023 against Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
Cruz Allen
First Team Debut: 8th November 2023 against Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
Adisa Osayande
First Team Debut: 8th November 2023 against Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s
