Tottenham res 5 2 Rams res
Spurs Res: Cerney, Dilevski, Hallfredsson, J Jackson, Riley, Bunjevcevic, Limbersky, Yeates, Barnard, El Hamdaoui, Malcolm.
Subs: Seanla, Eyre, Price, Kyriacou, Heller.
Rams: Miller, R Jackson, Vincent, Turner, Hanson, Martin, Ainsworth, Barnes, Ashton, Cassidy, Holmes.
Subs: Booth, Richardson, Davies, Nix, Meredith.
Referee Mr. C.Sarginson
After a marathon run of games that saw Steve Taylors' men play 4 times in 8 days the reserves had enjoyed a full week since victory over Fulham had seen them return to winning ways.
As with last Tuesday's team the Derby side comprised mainly youngsters, although it did include both Lee Holmes making his first appearance in a Derby shirt since returning from a three month loan spell at Swindon and Richard Jackson who was starting on the road back from injury.
Spurs reserves play their football at Stevenage Borough F C and the playing surface looked to be in good shape for the time of the season.
To be a truly competitive and worthwhile exercise reserve team football needs to be played by two teams of comparable ability. Unfortunately for Derby there was a lot of experience in the Tottenham side and it quickly showed.
Derby were a goal down inside 2 minute when Mounir El Hamdaoui was played through by Mark Yeates. The Moroccan's finish was clinical and incisive.
The visitors conceded a second 9 minutes later when Lee Barnard finished from close range after the Rams defence had failed to deal with a right wing cross from Michael Malcolm.
Things got worse for the visitors on 31 minutes.When Malcolm received a cross at the far post from Emil Hallfredsson he played it back into the danger zone for Barnard to net his second.
Barnard completed his hatrick with a 36th minute drive from the edge of the box.
The half-time scoreline would have been even worse but for one terrific save from Kevin Miller and a last ditch block by Jamie Vincent on Malcolm.
The tie looked dead by half-time although Lionel Ainsworth was unlucky with a strike that rattled the crossbar.
Derby had tried to play football throughout the first period without ever really troubling Radek Cerney in the home goal.
The Rams gave the scoreline a glimmer of respectability when Ainsworth got on the end of a defence splitting David Cassidy pass firing home from 12 yards out 3 minutes after the break.
Cassidy made things even more interesting 14 minutes later as he picked out the run of Giles Barnes who did the honours to make it 4-2.
Barnes went close to adding to his tally with a 76th minute header that Cerney saved at full stretch.
Realizing that attack is the best form of defence the hosts then twice went close as Yeates rattled the crossbar and Miller then tipped a blisteing Johnnie Jackson drive over the bar for a corner.
The final word belonged to Hallfredsson who headed a David Limbersky cross home to make a final score of 5 - 2.
Although the Rams were comprehensively beaten they deserved credit for not caving in when lesser sides could have ended up conceding a hatful. It was also pleasing to see Richard Jackson come through the full 90 minutes seemingly unscathed