Derby County booked their place in the third round of the EFL Trophy following a dominant 3-0 victory over Fleetwood Town last night.
A brace from James Collins and a Tyreece John-Jules strike off the bench secured victory for Derby and ensured their fine form continued, making it five wins from their last six matches.
Paul Warne’s side were relentless against the League One strugglers, registering a whopping 24 shots on goals to Fleetwood’s six while recording 17 of their strikes inside the opponent’s box, as per Sofascore.
How did James Collins perform against Fleetwood?
Collin’s two well-taken goals against the Cod Army took his tally to double figures for the season as the 33-year-old continued to showcase his sharpness in front of goal.
He was a constant menace last night and troubled the visitor’s defence in behind by unleashing a barrage of shots at their goal.
Having successfully landed eight shots, four of which were on target, Fleetwood struggled to contain the in-form Rams striker and this was demonstrated by the role he played in the build-up phase too.
He dropped deep to link play and registered a pass completion of 91% while accurately placing all three of his attempted long balls.
It was a sensational all-round performance from Collins, who accumulated an impressive 9.2 Sofascore rating, however, he wasn’t the only hero in black and white as Joe Ward stepped up to deliver a fine display.
How did Joe Ward perform against Fleetwood?
Since arriving from Peterborough United in the summer, the 28-year-old has suffered injury issues with his heel and that has restricted him to just five appearances in the league.
With Ryan Nyambe and Kane Wilson above him in the pecking order at right-back, Ward knew he had to step up his performance against Fleetwood to work his way into Paul Warne’s plans.
The Englishman, who is known for his ability to maraud forward and provide telling quality in the final third, rarely put a foot wrong last night and delivered an exceptional display.
From a defensive point of view, he made himself difficult to get past by winning three of his four ground duels (75%), made two interceptions and one tackle.
However, it was going forward that he truly showcased his ability as an attacking full-back, supplying an inch-perfect assist for Collins’ second goal while making four key passes and accurately placing four of his six attempted crosses.
On a night when Derby stamped their authority against their divisional rivals, Ward demonstrated the talent he could provide in their promotion hunt.