Blues kids win 2-0 with late, late goals against Derby at Kingsmeadow

By Paul Lagan at Kingsmeadow Stadium

Chelsea Dev 2 v Derby County 0

George McEachran scored a late, late goal as the Blues development squad inched past 10-man Derby 2-0 in a poor match at Kingsmeadow this afternoon.

A second, deep into four minutes added time from Bryan Fiabema saw the Blues snatch three vital PL2 points as they sit perilously close to the bottom of the League.

The midfielder was on the spot at the far post to tuck home the ball after goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes tipped the ball into his path, saving a goal-bound header from Xavier Mbuyamba.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men nine minutes from the end, when Reece Harrison pulled down substitute Fiabema for a penalty.

Up stepped Harvey Vale who promptly skied the ball over the bar

Vale’s missed penalty almost summed up Chelsea’s development squad’s season.

Fiabema’ s goal gave the scoreline a semblance of respectability which the match didn’t deserve.

Derby had the first effort O’Neill, on five minutes. striker Jack Stretton broke free and left fly with a low drive, but Xavier Mbuyamba intervened, and took the pace off the ball with a slight deflection. Lucas Bergstrom smothered the ball.

Chelsea were awarded a free-kick on the edge of then derby area when Harvey Vale was hacked down by Will Grewal-Pollard, on 17 minutes. Lewis Bake thrashed a shot that was deflected for a corner, from which Mbuyamba headed over the visitors’ crossbar.

Bergstrom was called into action, in an otherwise sleepy opening 35 minutes, when Osage Aghatise thumped a venomous right-footer from a tight angle just inside the Chelsea penalty area.. The tall goalkeeper dived to his left and parried the ball away to safety.

The first real piece of quality from the home side came five minutes before the break after some excellent one-touch interplay, Lewis Baker hit a left-footer from the edge of the area, that rattled the outside of Harrison Foulkes’ right post.

Jayden Wareham came on for George Nunn.

But it was Derby who pressed forward and Kornell McDonald has a shot from 20 yards zip past Bergstrom’s right post.

Harvey Vale saw a goal-bound effort deflected for a corner as the Blues fought to get a grip on the game.

Blues boss Andy Myers opted to bring on Joe Haigh for Jude Soonsup-Bell on 63 minutes.

He was followed by Bryan Fiabema for Lewis Hall on 70 minutes as Hall limped off.

A quick counter attack by the Blues, inspired by Baker, saw the midfielder crack a daisy-cutter towards goal, but Foulkes managed to tip it round the post fro. Corner. From the resultant kick, Foulkes made a point-blank save from a close-range Mbuyamba header.

On 81 minutes, Reece Hutchinson was red-carded for pulling down Fiabema while he was running clear on goal.

Up stepped Harvey Vale who smashed his spot kick over the goal and into the back of the empty stand behind.

But right on the 90 minutes McEachran tapped in the opener while Fiabema scored deep into the four minutes of red time.

Teams Chelsea, Bergstrom, Rankine, Brooking, Mbuyamba, Hughes, Hall, McEachran, Baker, Soonsup-Bell, Vale, Nunn,

Subs: Wareham, Wady, Fiabema, Tobin, Haigh

Derby: Foulkes, McDonald, Hutchinson, Brown, Cashin, Grewal-Pollard, Thompson, Dixon, Stretton, Aghatise, Plange

Subs: Clarke, Roberts, De Garcia, Matthew’s, Ebiowei