Still not through yet

[RedRover45]

5 points for us, 3 each for Mansfield and Port Vale and 1 point for Derby. Wins for Mansfield and Port Vale next month would knock us out.

[rich1471]

What a shame that would be haha

[RedRover45]

Despite the morals of the competition, they're useful practise games for blooding the youngsters and giving game time for returning injured players

[Sammy Chung was King]

Very useful workout for players coming back from injury and our 'kids'. Longbottom to cut to the 'long and short' of it impressed again and mandeville got himself another goal !.
Also we had a squad with a lot of kids in but still we carried on trying to make our ground a place where the opposition come away with very little.

 Again i'm disappointed that we didn't get a cleansheet, but we were behind and showed bottle and also showed it taking penalties. And yet again those who watched got goals to show for the ticket they bought.
Really good to see some players coming back from laying on the 'casting couch' too long. Who do you think has given the manager most to think about, in them potentially pressuring the current occupants for a place in the team?.

[Alan Southstand]

Never went last night so can't comment on what I saw, but going on the report in the Free Press, it seemed Beestin had a good game. Fielding, Longbottom and, to some extent, Mandeville all played their part. That's a good proportion of youngsters all starting to come good. Of the seniors, it was good to see Baudry and Keegan get game time, although by all accounts it was Keegan's poor pass that led to Derby's first goal. However, given the length of time he's been out of action, its understandable.

I would say, despite the competition being a load of b*ll***s, we came out of last night with a fair few positives.

What also made me smile was taking a look at Derby's account of their showing - apparently they showed a lot of 'character' when under a second half 'bombardment' from Doncaster. And no acknowledgement of the fact that it was almost our development team that played (largely) their U23 team, i.e. level playing field!

[DonnyOsmond]

They did also have some experienced players in their team too. Weimann, Blackman, Wilson and Russell. Ours was probably as young as there's.

[steve@dcfd]

Derbys reserve team manager says their young players did well against a side that are second in the League 2. Yet let's look at the side who we played last night only four players were 23 or over, two of those returning from long layoffs. Two players who played on Saturday were taken off after 30 mins. Bringing on 18 and 21 year old. So the young side did well last night and I bet if you have taken the three over gate players out each side our average age would have been similar to Derbys.

[Sammy Chung was King]

He has to butter it up a bit steve, otherwise it will bring questions in his role in losing to a team two divisions below who also played a 'weakened' side.
How i see this competition, the fa have decided bigger teams young players will play in it, we haven't the clout to change that so we have to make it be for our benefit as much as we can.
Using it as a sharpener for returning players and for kids to get experience. As much as i don't agree with how it's being done, i don't think many of those complaining would stay away from wembley if we got to the final.

[the vicar]

we just need draw

[silent majority]

He has to butter it up a bit steve, otherwise it will bring questions in his role in losing to a team two divisions below who also played a 'weakened' side.
How i see this competition, the fa have decided bigger teams young players will play in it, we haven't the clout to change that so we have to make it be for our benefit as much as we can.
Using it as a sharpener for returning players and for kids to get experience. As much as i don't agree with how it's being done, i don't think many of those complaining would stay away from wembley if we got to the final.

Its not the FA. The FA Cup is their competition not this one.

[Sammy Chung was King]

Fa, football league all the same, massive commitees getting very little done other than messing about with the game, when it doesn't need it.

[Filo]

Derbys reserve team manager says their young players did well against a side that are second in the League 2. Yet let's look at the side who we played last night only four players were 23 or over, two of those returning from long layoffs. Two players who played on Saturday were taken off after 30 mins. Bringing on 18 and 21 year old. So the young side did well last night and I bet if you have taken the three over gate players out each side our average age would have been similar to Derbys.

Our players were not over aged within the rules of the competition, Derby's were

[RedJ]

Fa, football league all the same

Except it isn't...