Tue 13 Jan - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 4mins
Derby County’s B Team returned with a convincing 3-0 victory over Chesterfield Reserves in the Central League at Moor Farm Training Centre on Tuesday afternoon.
Israel Green’s second-half strike added to goals from Jamie Wähling and Cameron Wilson, as the Rams put in a dominant performance to claim victory in the rearranged fixture.
The B Team’s first fixture since a 4-0 rout over Buxton FC in early December, Derby thought they had taken the lead inside the opening ten minutes, but for the linesman’s flag to thwart Marsel Tola.
Neat combination play between Wilson and Justin Oguntolu allowed the former to square to Tola for a tap-in, but Wilson was flagged for an offside in the build-up.
Danny Maye’s side were ahead eight minutes later, however. Wilson was again heavily involved, as he and Harry Hawkins sandwiched Mosiah Chambers to win the ball back, releasing Wilson to slip in Wähling, who rolled home into the bottom right corner.
Derby came close to a second on the half-hour mark. Great skill from Oguntolu on the left touchline saw him chop beyond his man and pull back for Hawkins, whose first-time effort was tipped onto the crossbar by Reilly Farrell.
Wilson, the livewire of a dominant first 45 minutes, doubled the Rams’ lead moments later, capitalising on an errant header from Zac Hibbard to drive the ball into the back of the net from just inside the Chesterfield penalty area.
The attacking threat from Derby – the ‘away’ side in the fixture despite being at Moor Farm – never relented. Oguntolu came within inches of a third on the brink of half-time, narrowly failing to meet Wähling’s cut-back on the slide.
Oguntolu and Wilson were two of four Derby players withdrawn at the break, but Wähling – now wearing the captain’s armband – was still strutting his stuff.
Just before the hour, he carried the ball forward nearly 30 yards, before laying off to substitute Kieran Clarke, who set his effort outside the far corner but couldn’t quite bend the ball back inside.
Two minutes later, he combined with Cruz Allen – another half-time introduction – for a cute give-and-go. Allen scooped over the top for Wähling, although the Rams’ number 10 couldn’t keep his side-footed volley down enough to trouble Farrell.
Having had a minimal workload throughout the opening 70 minutes, Derby goalkeeper Jack Thompson then pulled off two huge stops as Chesterfield grew into the contest. First, his outstretched left leg came to the rescue, before he was down quickly to deny Oscar Wozniczka on the follow-up.
Any threat of a Chesterfield revival was extinguished in the final ten minutes when Green added Derby’s third – a goal which saw three substitutes combine.
Zayne Blake started the move before Allen’s dancing feet found him marauding on the overlap. The teenager played across the goal for Green, who had the simplest of finishes to put the game beyond doubt.
Derby County B: Thompson (GK), Thomas, Doyle, Banks (Blake 60), Osayande (C) (Harvey 46), Hawkins, Wilson (Clarke 46), Tola, Oguntolu (Green 46), Wähling, Richards (Allen 46).
"It was a different type of game today, which was pleasing," said Senior Professional Development Phase Coach Danny Maye, after the game.
"Chesterfield sat off deep and made it more difficult to break them down. Our movement was good, and we mostly showed good patience to probe and create chances.
In the second half, I thought we came off it a bit. Partly because they came after us a bit more, and partly because of some complacency on the ball, we took too many touches and lacked the movement behind on the top line.
"We also didn’t quite recognise when to bypass the midfield and break their press.
"That being said, we still had a real threat on the counter. It was pleasing to have a mix of Under-16s and second-year pros today. All playing in the same style and older players supporting younger players throughout the game."
The B Team are next in action against Mickleover Sports at the Don Amott Arena on Tuesday 20th January (7:45pm kick-off) in the Derbyshire Senior Cup.
Moor Farm Training Centre
