Derby County Under-18s suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in the Under-18 Premier League - North at Moor Farm.
Jake Waters’ winning goal in the 80th minute was enough to see off the Rams in a highly competitive and physical matchup between the two sides.
Derby had their share of chances throughout the game, but luck was not on their side, as Jake Buxton’s side also finished the game with 10 men following Bayo Fapetu’s late dismissal.
Right from the kick-off it was a fiercely contested match physically with some strong challenges going in from both sides.
However, it wasn’t until the 29th minute when the first real chance of the game came for the Black Cats, as Trey Ogunsuyi managed to send a low cross into Mason Cotcher who sent a half volley from inside the box over the bar.
Having had a slight scare, Derby began to find their feet in the game by winning a flurry of corners and free kicks in dangerous positions and taking control of the game.
Pressure was really beginning to tell on the 39th minute as a Derby trialist, playing as a left-winger, picked up a loose ball on the edge of the box before making his way into the area and going so close with his shot drifting just wide of the post after a deflection.
A double substitution for Derby was made two minutes after the half time break as Jaydan Davidson and Fapetu replaced the Trialist and Cameron Ashia.
Despite going into half-time the side on top, Derby were on the defensive front again as Will Dowling hit the post in the 48th minute for the visitors, sending a curling shot from the edge of the box towards the back post and only to hit the frame of the goal.
This was the first of a few big chances for Sunderland, after an expert save from Josh Shattell in the Rams’ goal denied Dowling again. The midfielder found himself one-on-one with the Derby goalkeeper in the 66th minute but a superb and outstretched boot from Shattell diverted the ball wide.
Derby’s resistance was eventually broken as Sunderland’s Mason Cotcher found a yard of space down the left-hand-side, sending a low cross into Waters who turned inside the box and finished with his left foot into the bottom right corner to give the visitors the lead in the 80th minute.
Derby came so close to equalising late on in normal time, as the two substitutes Davidson and Fapetu combined in the 88th minute with the latter glancing a header from the winger’s cross which hit the post and bobbled around the Sunderland box before being gathered by Young.
As the game entered four minutes of injury time Derby were reduced to ten men after a high challenge from Fapetu on the halfway line saw the referee brandish a straight red card for the midfielder in the 92nd minute of the game.
The Under-18s will be back in action against Leeds United on Tuesday 4th April at Thorp Arch Training Ground (12:30pm kick-off).
Derby County Under-18s: Shattell (GK), Osayande (Sebagabo 75), Gough, Tola, Banks (Simons 78), Robinson (C), Osong, McAndrew, Wheeldon, Ashia (Fapetu 48), Trialist (Davidson 48).
Substitutes Not Used: Thompson (GK).