Rams starlets pass more landmarks as loan turns sour after 'thorough analysis'

Two of Derby County’s loan players enjoyed productive weekends, while a third was involved in a second poor result in four days that cost his head coach his job.

First the positive, as Owen Eames built on his first ever senior goal for Falkirk, which came against Hearts in midweek and earned him glowing praise from the Bairns’ boss John McGlynn.

Falkirk were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man St Johnstone on Saturday and while McGlynn wasn’t too pleased to see his side pegged back, it was Eames who played a part in the opening goal.

Operating on the left of midfield the 19-year-old got in behind the full back and delivered a cut-back from which Ethan Ross gave the visitors the lead.

Four days on from his first senior goal, the teenager now has a first ever assist albeit an Enes Alic equaliser six minutes into stoppage time curtailed the celebrations. Eames has started all three matches since making the move to the Scottish Premiership.

Meanwhile Dajaune Brown scored his first goal for Rochdale in a 2-0 win over Oldham which lifted Ian Watson’s men off the foot of League Two.

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The striker, who has come through the Rams academy, is in his third senior loan having also been at Gateshead and Port Vale.

He has started seven straight league games and on Saturday found the back of the net for the first time since March. The 20-year-old produced a clinical finish after being sent through with a defender to beat.

Watson said: “I’m incredibly proud of the boys. We’d spoken all week about what this game means to the fans and how much we wanted to run and duel with the opposition to show how much it means to us, and I thought the players did that.”

Brown has also made 26 appearances and scored twice for his parent club.

However, Kenzo Goudmijn’s time with Grasshoppers Zurich has not been going according to plan, in terms of starts and results at least.

In early September the midfielder went to the Swiss outfit on a season-long loan with the deal including an option to buy, since when he was made three appearances off the bench.

The first came in a 1-0 win over FC Thun but things quickly went south, last Tuesday Grasshoppers were 3-2 down to FC Sion when Goudmijn entered the fray in the 67th minute before the visitors raced to a 5-2 win.

Then on Saturday FC Luzern were two goals in front when the Rams man came on with 35 minutes to go. What followed was a 5-1 loss, ten goals in five days and the departure of head coach Peter Zeidler.

A club statement read: “After a thorough analysis of the current sporting situation, the club has decided to make a change in the head coach position and to further develop the sporting direction.”

Zeidler had only been in place for four months and leaves with Grasshoppers tenth in the 12-team Super League.

Goudmijn has played 48 times for the Rams since he was handed a four-year contract when he joined from AZ Alkmaar in July 2024.

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