Paul Warne verdict on Derby County youngsters after EFL Trophy win over Wolves

Most managers are eager to get their young players on the pitch and into the starting XI, so Paul Warne will be delighted with how some of the Rams' academy products performed in last night's win.

The Rams won 4-1 against Wolves U21s in the EFL Trophy taking them through the group stage to the next round.

Warne started three young players and brought on five more in the win, giving them ample chance to get some first team football at Pride Park under their belts.

Many of the headlines will be dominated by James Collins' hat trick but some of the best performances of the night came from the youngsters despite plenty of first team talent on the pitch.

Adebayo Fapetu

The first half was dominated by young midfielder Adebayo Fapetu who really impressed. Former Rams captain Shaun Barker told Rams TV: "He had a real desire to compete, he landed on second balls and we saw him show that bit of quality.

"He was a stand out."

Tony Weston

Tony Weston was the only youngster to score in the game as he made it 4-1 with a tidy finish after picking up the ball from winger Kane Wilson.

It was a finish that looked composed and impressive especially for a 20 year-old. After the game, he said he was "over the moon".

Speaking to Rams TV, Weston added: "It was just a natural instinct finish to be fair. It's something that we work on all the time in training.

"I like a little poachers goal, so I'm happy with it."

Darren Robinson

The most experienced of the youngsters, Darren Robinson has had a decent amount of first team football especially duing preseason when he was somewhat of a breakout candidate this season.

The Northern Irishman didn't dissapoint again today with a great performance controlling the possession.

Robinson had more touches in the game than any other player and more passes too. He played on the left side of a back three, not his normal position, which shows his quality and versatility to play all over the pitch.

Paul Warne will be delighted that he got to see some standout performances from his young players and there will certainly be a buzz around the academy if they can keep producing players like the ones that stood out on Wednesday night.

It may be the case that a few of these youngsters find themselves in the squad for a league game sooner rather than later.