Derby County 3-2 Sheffield United

The FA Youth Cup in partnership with Pepsi
Fourth Round
Pride Park
11 January 2005



Derby County left it late to progress into the FA Youth Cup’s Fifth Round at Pride Park last night, with Chris Turner’s penalty a minute from time clinching a 3-2 win over Sheffield United.

The Young Rams now face a trip to the winners of tonight’s Fourth Round tie between Leeds United and Fulham.

Ben Wilkinson volleyed Derby ahead on 12 minutes but Blades levelled two minutes before the break with Jordan Robertson’s simple tap-in and they went on to take a 2-1 lead on the hour when Nick Travis’s faint touch was enough to beat Kirby in Rams’ goal.

The home side were in no mood to give up and finished as deserving winners of the Fourth Round tie. Lionel Ainsworth, the England Under-18 winger who featured in the Scotland friendly just before Christmas, made it 2-2 and the Rams looked to be the only side who could then go on to win it. And so it proved, Turner sending them through with a coolly taken spot-kick after Ainsworth had been upended in the box.

Derby continue to produce excellent young players who have already made their mark with England. Goalkeeper Lee Camp played in the most recent Under-21 international in Spain and both Tom Huddlestone and Lee Holmes have starred for the Under-19s this season.

Some of the best young talent in the country will be on show at Derby’s Pride Park when England’s Under-21s take on Holland on 08 February.

Two former FA Youth Cup winners are in action tonight in Fourth Round ties. Leeds won it eight years ago but went out in the Third Round last season, losing in extra time to Ipswich. They are at home to Fulham, who beat Birmingham City impressively at Craven Cottage in the last round. Ipswich, Cup winners twice inside three years in the ‘70s, go to Stoke.

There are a lot more Fourth Round ties next week, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and holders Middlesbrough amongst the sides trying to make it into the last 16.