A confident and assured performance on Saturday afternoon saw Derby County’s Under 18s record a comfortable 3-1 victory over Sunderland on home turf.

It was Jayden Mitchell-Lawson’s sixth minute chip which gave his side the lead, however a quick counter attack in the 25th minute saw the Black Cats peg one back through Benjamin Kimpola.In the second half, Jordan Brown netted his second goal in as many games and Harry Goode added to the Rams’ tally 23 minutes later to secure a deserved three points and a return to winning ways.Windy to begin with, the setting of this Premier League North encounter seemed tailored to fit Derby’s North East visitors, however, it was Rams who started this fixture brightest.With four changes made since Derby’s last outing against Manchester City, it served as an opportunity for players to nail down their place in the starting XI and they did this early on – taking the lead with just six minutes on the clock.A cutting through ball down the middle from Giann Magno created the space and Mitchell-Lawson saw it all the way, drawing out Sunderland goalkeeper Michael Would to chip him emphatically from outside the box.And with a goal to their name, Derby did not stop there as the next 15 minutes saw Justin Walker’s and Rory Delap’s side break forward at every opportunity.Despite their efforts, though, on 25 minutes, the visitors did find a way back into the game after an initial shot from long range caught Matt Yates off-guard and Kimpola was there almost instantly to capitalise on the spilled loose ball.Even, only with regard to the scoreline, the Rams quickly dusted themselves off and on 35 minutes they were presented with a golden opportunity to edge back in front after Connor Dixon was brought down inside the Black Cats’ box.Cameron Cresswell stepped forward but the Under 18s’ top scorer was unable to capitalise as his sent the ball over the crossbar.With momentum well and truly behind them, Derby picked up where they left off after the half time interval and just five minutes into the second period, the Rams were a goal to the good.It was Ayomide Jibodu who created the chance for his side after breaking down the right side and his delivery was just as perfect, if not more so, than his run – which allowed Under 16 midfielder, Brown, to head home his second goal in as many outings.From then on, confidence soared for the Rams and they very easily could have ran away with game after Walker’s and Delap’s side generated attack after attack.After searching for a two-goal cushion for the majority of the second-half, on 73 minutes, Goode stepped up and topped off an emphatic run with a well taken goal which he blasted into the top left corner of the goal.It was plain sailing after that for the Rams, although Sunderland did push for a consolation as time began to run out.Ultimately though, assured performances from throughout the squad was what proved to be the difference in this encounter as Derby comfortably saw out the game to take a well-deserved three points in their penultimate Premier League North fixture.Yates, Goode, Mills, Magno, Rashid, C.Thomas, Jibodu, Dixon, Cresswell, Brown, Mitchell-LawsonWhittaker, Fryatt, Davie, Buchanan, MinkleyWould, Gamble, Krusnell, Connolly, Taylor, Young, Hackett, Allan, Connelly, Kimpola, DiamondHickey, Newman, Scothern, Howard, StackTweets by @ dcfcofficial