Everton Under-18s begin their FA Youth Cup campaign against Derby County at Pride Park on Wednesday night (7pm) and captain Rhys Hughes says the young Blues are eager to “progress and make memories”.

Midfielder Hughes acknowledges Everton will face a tough test in the third-round tie, with the Rams having won the Under-18 Premier League national title last season.

The 18-year-old Wales youth international is confident the young Blues can to rise to the challenge however, and revealed the players are relishing the chance to showcase their qualities on a big stage.

Everton currently sit fourth in the Under-18 Premier League (North) table – three points and three places ahead of Derby.

“It will be a good experience and it will be great to play at Pride Park,” said Hughes, who was part of the Everton team who reached the quarter-finals of the Youth Cup last season.

“But the night itself is about winning, progressing in the cup and making memories if we can.

“Derby are a tough team to play against. They are always well set up.

“We believe in ourselves, though, and hopefully we can go there and get a result.”

Hughes, who joined Everton aged six, also spoke of his pride in captaining the team and set out his resolve to repay the faith shown in him by manager Paul Tait.

He has been handed the armband this season with 2018/19 skipper Einar Iversen making the step up to David Unsworth’s Under-23s team.

Hughes has seamlessly stepped into the role and continued to provide a composed, authoritative presence in the middle of the park.

The Welshman believes the captaincy has seen him take more responsibility on and off the pitch.

“You have to help your teammates and think about other people’s jobs in the team,” he said.

“We have had a lot of young lads come up into the squad and I try to make sure they fit into the group well.

“I try to be a leader on the pitch and lead by example. I think I’m quite a good communicator, too.

“It’s a proud achievement being captain of Everton Under-18s. Not many people get to say they are captain of an Everton team. I love being captain.

“We’ve got a great group of lads, though, so that makes my job quite easy.

“I love working with the manager. Taity, [assistant manager] Keith Southern and [goalkeeping coach] Kev O’Brien are really good coaches. I owe a lot to them.

“I try to repay the faith they have put in me by putting in performances every week.”