by Gareth Holmes, Mickleover FC First Team Manager
Derby County Community Trust (Mickleover) began their season in emphatic fashion with a dominant 5–1 victory over WBA at The Don Amott Arena, showcasing a blend of resilience, pace, and attacking flair.
It was WBA who started the brighter of the two sides, pressing high and causing Derby real problems early on. The visitors looked sharp in the opening stages, pinning Derby back and threatening around the edge of the box.
However, Derby’s defensive line stood strong, producing a series of vital blocks and challenges to keep WBA at bay.
The turning point came midway through the first half when Derby began to exploit their pace on the counterattack. The front three, brimming with speed and intent, started to stretch WBA’s back line. The breakthrough arrived through Stevenson, who unleashed a superb strike into the bottom left corner to give Derby a 1–0 lead at the break.
At halftime, the message from the Derby bench was clear: maintain the intensity off the ball, but aim for more composure in possession. The players responded perfectly.
Within minutes of the restart, Stevenson doubled the lead with another sensational long-range effort that flew past the goalkeeper. From there, Derby began to assert full control. Confidence grew, and the wide players became more involved—particularly after the introduction of Malpass, who made an immediate impact.
On the hour mark, Malpass raced past the WBA defence down the right and calmly lifted the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 3–0. The midfield trio of Adcock, Williamson, and Berry continued to dominate, breaking up play and launching quick transitions. Their influence told again when they released Malpass down the wing, and he made no mistake with his second goal, slotting home Derby’s fourth.
WBA managed a late consolation with 10 minutes remaining, scoring from a well-taken free kick. But Derby were not finished. In the closing moments, some excellent work down the right-hand side led to a perfectly placed cross that found Garrett, who coolly slotted home the fifth and final goal of the game.
Final Score: Derby (Mickleover) 5–1 WBA
Scorers:
• Stevenson (2)
• Malpass (2)
• Garrett (1)
A superb all-round performance from a new-look Derby (Mickleover) side, who laid down a marker for the season ahead. The balance between defensive grit and attacking creativity bodes well for what’s to come.
GARETH HOLMES