Connor Pace got one back for the blues early in the second half, but they could not find the finishing touch again despite heavy dominance throughout the half.

Brad Munn made three changes to the side that beat league leaders Quorn on the 4th January.

Lewis King began in goal with the captains armband. Infront of him was Adbul Saad who started as right back back with Ryan Campbell-Gordon on the opposite flank.

Owen Betts replaced Jayden Cotterill as Gianluca Bucci’s centre back partner. Callum Cocks started alongside former Derby County player Jamie Hanson in the centre of midfield with
Liam Loughlan playing as the attacking midfielder.

Garnett was in the centre of an attacking trio with James Shaw and Pace either side of him.

Cotterill, Andrew Wright, Oliver Mercer, James Taylor and Alans Voskrenskis took up positions on the bench.

The Blues started the game really positively as they were stringing passes together and carving chances, but they just could not find the finishing touch.

The visitors took the lead in the 37th minute as Betts brought down Ilesanmi inside the box. Ilesanmi stepped up to take his penalty, but it was initially saved by King, but the striker followed up from his previous strike and made sure it went in on his second attempt.

Derby County u21’s doubled their lead just five minutes later as they won the ball back inside Long Eaton’s half. The ball is played to Wheeldon, who then struck it well into the bottom left corner, leaving King no chance.

Just two minutes into the second half, Pace gave the Blues momentum as he found the back of the net from outside the box. He picked the ball up inside the u21’s half and caught the goalkeeper off his line, and his sublime strike crept under the bar.

King was called into action in the 52nd with a brilliant save after Derby County played a fast free kick. Alex Stepien-Iwumene was played through on goal and had only King to beat, but experience was on King’s side as he stayed big and made a beautiful save.

The Blues began to come back life as a chance from Campbell-Gordon in the 69th minute made the goalkeeper scramble across the goal line and push the chance over the bar.

Derby’s keeper was called into action again just minutes later as he was forced to parry Loughlan’s shot out for a corner.

The Blues thought they had done enough to secure the comeback as in the dying minutes, Garnett came close to doing so. He was played the ball across the face of goal. He managed to flick it goal bound, but the goalkeeper pulled off a great save resulting in a Long Eaton corner.

The corner creates a flurry of legs trying to clear the ball and also get the ball into the net, but Derby gets the ball out of the box and looked to wrap the game up as King had gone up for the corner. Derby took a shot from the halfway line, but it was not enough as Cotterill managed to get back and keep the ball out.

Long Eaton carried on pushing for that needed goal, but it was not to be as the referee blew the whistle for the last time meaning the Blues exit the cup in the quarter-finals.

The Blues travel to Worcester for their next match as they face Worcester City in the league on January 25. They will look to carry on their unbeaten league record and bounce back from this defeat in the cup.

Match Report: Damion Arnold
Match Photos: Dan Bishop