Much to savour on a comfortable evening
DERBY County cruised into the second round of the FA Cup with a crushing 5-0 win over non-league Torquay United at Pride Park.
Head coach Paul Warne was able to rest key players such as James Collins and Nathaniel Mendezlaing as Derby got the job done in comfort.
The Rams scored some terrific goals, too, in a performance that was a confidence-booster no matter the opposition.
Warne took the decision to rest some of his established stars after what has been a gruelling schedule. Nathaniel Mendez-laing and Conor Hourihane were among those to be given the night off with the Portsmouth game coming up tomorrow.
But the young players who came into the side did not disappoint.
Jake Rooney excelled even though he was a centre-back playing at full-back.
Liam Thompson was equally impressive and his performance was capped with a goal that it deserved.
Torquay will also be glad to see the back of Will Osula, who scored his third goal in two games against them and Lewis Dobbin’s volley was one he will never forget.
Warne’s faith in the young players was rewarded with a convincing win, a place in the second round of the FA Cup and the bonus of stars getting a breather.
We must also not forget the contribution of the senior players.
Richard Stearman, Craig Forsyth and David Mcgoldrick all led by example in what was a comfortable night’s work.
Dobbin stood out though. He has an incredible attitude, he works hard and, as Warne admitted, he gets into the team on those attributes alone.
Everton are excited by the young attacker’s potential, which is understandable given he has all the attributes you could want in a forward player.
He’s quick, he has good feet and he’s sharp in one-v-one situations but perhaps the only element that has been missing is an end product.
You wondered whether it was going to be another one of those nights when Dobbin raced through on goal only to be denied by the goalkeeper.
But he conjured up one of the best goals Pride Park has witnessed with a stunning strike on the volley which was a master class in technique.
Catching a shot on the volley as it’s looping in the air is a difficult skill to master but Dobbin demonstrated how it should be done with devastating effect.
We may as well hand him the goal of the season award now because it’s hard to see how anybody can eclipse such a finish.
If that had been scored in the Premier League, we would not hear the end of it.
But overall, it was a fitting strike from a player who is a popular member of the squad. That was clear from the reaction on the bench.
He is an example to all young players in how you should conduct yourself on loan. He deserved his moment in the spotlight.