A Carlos Borges hat-trick rounded off what was a superb overall display at Pride Park against a hugely experienced League One side and secured our first win in Group F.
It means that if City win our final group game away at Grimsby next month, we are guaranteed to reach the knockout stages.
Reflecting on the victory, Barry-Murphy said the assured manner of the performance from first minute to last was the most pleasing takeaway for him.
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“I wouldn’t underplay it - I thought it was a very special night and I think for me it was about the calibre of the opponent,” said Barry-Murphy.
“I thought the courage and bravery we showed was exceptional in the face of some extreme pressure.
“Derby had some senior players and I know how good they are, and I knew what a challenge this would be for our players, so the level of performance was probably the most pleasing thing.
“Derby are on a massive upward curve with what they have now with their players and their manager Paul Warne with what he has done in this division.
“So, it was going to be an extreme test for our players and an extension of what we faced at Mansfield (in our first group game) and to see if we could improve on that and that was the most significant part for our players.
“Now we will contest the final group game against Grimsby with a lot of stake which is what we want.
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“One of the things Jason (Academy director Jason Wilcox) and the key people at the top want our players is to understand what it’s like to play for big prizes and to have something at stake.
“This element of competition where there is a consequence of not getting through is priceless for our players in terms of having to deal with that and still play the way they do.”
The EDS head coach also had warm words of praise for hat-trick hero Borges who maintained the magnificent form that has been a hallmark of his season so far.
His Pride Park treble took Borges’ overall tally of goals for the season to 11 and was his second treble of the campaign too following his hat-trick in our UEFA Youth League win at Sevilla last month.
However, the biggest source of satisfaction for the head coach was in how the 18-year-old was coalescing all the separate aspects of his game into a formidable whole.
“All aspects of Carlos’s game on Tuesday were really good as well like the boring elements in terms of his work rate and how selfless he was for the team,” Barry-Murphy added.
“That’s a huge area of development for him so to see Carlos implement that and get his reward is big for me.
“It is about real substance: that if you do your job for the team, you will get your reward. To see him score so many goals with so many good performances is great for all of us.”
