Derby County’s Under 23s kicked off their Premier League Cup group campaign with a 1-0 home defeat against their Hull City counterparts on Friday evening.

The only goal of the game was scored by Robbie McKenzie midway through the first half, as he fired home for the Tigers from close range at the iPro Stadium.







Charles Vernam had Derby’s best chances of the game, both of which came in the first half, as he first hit the post with an early effort from the edge of the box before drawing a fine save from Allan McGregor from a similar distance shortly before McKenzie struck.





Despite pushing forwards in search of an equaliser, the visitors were only too happy to soak up the pressure and defend in numbers to ensure they came out on top.







In their first of six matches in this season’s Premier League Cup, with the group also containing Manchester City and Colchester United, Under 23s boss Darren Wassall was able to call upon a strong Derby side.





Vernam, Mason Bennett and Farrend Rawson retained their places in the side following the Under 23s’ 2-0 home win over Southampton in Premier League 2 – Division 1, while Timi Max Elsnik, following the warm-up, was withdrawn from the starting line-up and Alex Babos was named as his replacement.





Alefe Santos, Callum Guy and Lewis Walker stepped into the starting XI after coming on as substitutes against the Saints, while Calum Macdonald returned at left-back ahead of linking up with the Scotland Under 21 squad next week.





Hull named Scotland international goalkeeper McGregor, 34, in their side after recovering from back surgery which ruled him out of the opening months of the Premier League campaign. Other players with first-team experience for the Tigers included Greg Olley and Brian Lenihan.





With a crisp winter chill in the Derbyshire air, the Rams were unlucky not to take the lead after four minutes, but Vernam’s long-range strike hit the post with McGregor beaten and bounced away to safety.





The youngster, undeterred by his near miss, tried another good effort from range on 20 minutes – but McGregor used his experience to get down to his left quickly and push the ball behind for a corner.





Hull, other than a few bursts forwards on the counter attack, hadn’t posed Derby too much concern early on – so it was somewhat against the run of play when they took the lead just after the halfway point of the half.





Johan Ter Horst got away down the right and delivered a cross into the box which found the onrushing McKenzie to firs low past the helpless Henrich Ravas.





Vernam, at the heart of the hosts’ best attacking moves all night, sought an immediate equaliser as Derby went straight up the other end but his left-foot effort drifted narrowly over McGregor’s crossbar.





McGregor, by far the busier of the two goalkeepers in the first period, came to his side’s rescue six minutes before the interval as he made a vital block from Bennett, who turned smartly 12 yards out to thunder a shot goalwards.





Babos with a low shot and then Vernam with an improvised flick after being edged wide as he burst into the area in the latter stages of the half called McGregor into action again, but on both occasions he read the danger to ease the pressure that was building at that stage.





The first chance of the second half came nine minutes after the interval and it fell to the visitors, but the woodwork came to Derby’s rescue as Jonathan Edwards saw his close range shot deflected onto the post before the ball was eventually hacked clear.





The majority of the play after the hour mark was in the Hull half, but the visitors were stood strong defensively and restricted the Rams to any clear shooting opportunities.





Kellan Gordon and Emil Riis Jakobsen both came off the bench in a double change with just over 20 minutes to go and the former almost drew Derby level ten minutes after their introduction, but after a fine run into the Hull box the wideman's low shot was claimed by McGregor.





That proved to be the last real chance for the Rams, as Hull saw their way through late pressure to claim the victory.



Derby’s next Premier League Cup fixture is away to Colchester United on Monday 5th December.





Derby County U23s:Ravas, Lelan (Stabana 46), Rawson, Cover, Macdonald; Guy, Babos (Jakobsen 68); Vernam; Walker (Gordon 68), Santos, Bennett





Substitute Not Used:Barnes





Booked:Lelan, Stabana





Hull City U23s:McGregor, Lenihan (Barkworth 60), Fleming, Batty, Clackstone, Rodgers, Ter Horst (Annan 75), McKenzie, Edwards, Olley, Hinchcliffe





Substitutes Not Used:Mannion, Jones, Lofts





Booked:Batty, Edwards







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