He was impressed with his team’s display against Liverpool a week ago, but now Darren Wassall has challenged his Under-23s to build on it and marry it with three points when they face Manchester United.
A week ago, the Rams fell to a 1-0 defeat against the table-topping Reds and the club’s academy director said after the game that he was ‘aggrieved’ his players did not come away with at least a point from the meeting at Prenton Park.
Liverpool finally breached Josh Barnes’ goal with just two minutes remaining, thanks to Ovie Ejaria’s strike.
As many positives as there were to take away, Wassall says there was also something that his young Under-23s group could learn from the game with that late goal in mind.
“As I said after the game, there were a lot of positives to take away from it,” he explained to RamsTV.
“We played against a Liverpool side full of internationals and first team players and to go there, when they are top of the league, and put on a performance like we did was really encouraging.
“We were very disappointed that we didn’t come away with at least a point – that was the least we deserved.
“What it was though is a learning curve. We need to concentrate for the full 95 minutes.
“We put in some great blocks on the day, won our duels, but the most important one, in the 88th minute, we could have done better preventing the shot.
“There was a lot we took away from it, but we also have to see it as a learning curve. It showed that, no matter what, you have to go right to the end if you want to get what you deserve.”
This weekend they will be looking to make their performance count against United and claim their first three points in Premier League 2 Division 1 since a 5-1 mauling of West Ham United at the London Stadium.
To do that, they need to overcome a Red Devils team that prop up the rest of the division and have lost their last three league games to West Ham, Arsenal and Tottenham.
“It’s always a big game, whether you are playing them at schoolboy, Under-18s, Under-23s or first team level,” Wassall said.
“We have faced them a lot recently – in the FA Cup, FA Youth Cup – and we have got a double-whammy this weekend.
“Our Under-16s and Under-18s playing them on Saturday and then we have got them on Sunday. We know it’s going to be a tough game, but it’s an important one for us in terms of the fact that we want to get back to winning ways in the league.
“Hopefully, we can do it on Sunday. We know with the quality of Manchester United, with the experience in their squad and their heights in terms of youth development that they have hit over the years that it’s going to be a difficult proposition.
“We’re ready, we’re raring and we’re going to take all the positives from the Liverpool game into Sunday at St George’s Park.”