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LONDON (CMC):
REGGAE BOY Ravel Morrison fired home a late equaliser to spare Derby County’s blushes as the Championship side fought back from 2-0 and then 3-2 down to beat League Two Salford City 5-3 on penalties after their English League Cup (ELC) first-round game ended 3-3 at Pride Park on Tuesday night.
Wayne Rooney’s inexperienced Rams side went 2-0 down inside 15 minutes as defender Jordan Turnbull headed in a well-worked corner, and Josh Morris rifled home a fine low strike for the visitors, who play two divisions below Derby.
The hosts, who are under a transfer embargo, bounced back with Isaac Hutchinson finding the bottom corner from inside the box on 43 minutes and Colin Kazim-Richards, whose father is of Antiguan descent, netting a controversial penalty for the Rams in the 71st minute.
Morris restored Salford’s lead with another spot-kick, but Morrison’s thumping 25-yard strike – his first Derby goal since signing a one-year deal on Saturday – forced penalties, which went the way of the hosts.
Rooney celebrated the confidence-boosting win enthusiastically against a team part-owned by his former Manchester United teammates, including Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham.
Rooney said: “Last season, staying up was massive for everybody – for the club and for myself. Tonight, that is the proudest moment I have had as a manager.
“I think the situation we are in, which we are still in, the pressure on the young lads, I knew it would be a difficult game,” he added.
Jamaican striker Jamille Matt helped League Two Forest Green Rovers pull off a shock in another ELC match when they beat West County rivals Bristol City 6-5 on penalties after Regan Hendry scored a 96th-minute equaliser for the home side to send it to spot kicks.
Despite being separated by little more than 30 miles, this was the first time the two teams had ever met in a professional match.
With both sides level after the first five spot-kicks, Cameron Pring missed to send the home side through against their Championship rivals despite Matt missing the first penalty.
Earlier, Matt, Forest Green’s top scorer last season with 17 goals despite suffering a serious hand injury in March, gave the hosts an 11th-minute lead. A break down the right led to the ball being passed into the box by Jack Aitchison, which Matt struck into the roof of the net.
Bristol City were looking for their first win in 11 matches, a run going back to last season, and manager Nigel Pearson fielded a completely different side to the one that drew 1-1 with Blackpool on the opening day of the Championship season.
Saikou Janneh rewarded his manager for handing him his first start for City, scoring twice to put the Robins into the lead. His first on 39 minutes came from a cross from Bermudian striker Nahki Wells, who was left on the bench in Saturday’s opener.
Saikou put his side ahead on 67 minutes, but for the second successive match, City conceded a last-minute goal.
Donovan Wilson, who is of Jamaican descent, gave League Two newcomers Sutton United a fourth-minute lead but were denied a shock win in their first EFL Cup game as Marley Watkins scored twice on debut to give Cardiff City a 3-2 victory.
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