“It’s just about getting revenge now.” Those were the words of University of Derby 1’s right-back Milton Tavares as he looked ahead to Wednesday’s clash against University of Loughborough 4s at Kedleston Road.
But why is Tavares so keen on revenge? Well, it goes back to Wednesday 18 February 2026.
Three games remained in the Men’s Midlands Tier 1 league of BUCS and the Derby University 1s faced Loughborough University 2s at Kedleston Road.
After only obtaining one point in their last seven games, this was a must-win game for the home side if they wanted any chance of survival.
Unfortunately, the most agonising of losses came the way of Derby that afternoon; only the one goal from Loughborough separated the two sides.
That was it, relegation. Even if triumph came Derby’s way for the remaining games of the season, it still wouldn’t have been sufficient.
Tavares reflected on last season’s loss. “It was a game that really hurt,” he said. “We were on top for most of that game. They had one chance to score in the game and they did. It was quite frustrating; the goal came from nowhere.”
It didn’t get better for Derby; a 2-1 defeat at home to Nottingham University 3s and a 5-1 loss to Nottingham University 2s ended their campaign on just one point.
But despite last season’s results, Tavares has his sights set on what’s to come this season.
“The most vital match is always the next one. Next week we play Loughborough (4s); we have got to take every match like it’s a final. We’re currently unbeaten in the league. If we win this next game, that gets us to nine points.”
Although it’s a different team technically, the same university is coming to Kedleston Road and Tavares is determined to not give the visitors a chance and ensure Derby’s unbeaten run stays intact.
The 21-year-old has a constructive mentality going into this match, which is something he’s carried with throughout his playing career.
He stated: “I want to make the team of the week every single game week. That’s an individual goal of mine. But as a team, we want to come together and try to win the league; that’s what is important.”
Despite the strong mindset, outside of football he’s quite the opposite of his disciplined mentality. When asked to describe himself, he said “I’m very hard-working and a kind person. When it comes to life in general, I’m like a comedian; I adapt very easily to situations.”
Describing himself as “a comedian” can seem strange and out of place given his emotion toward Loughborough, but his teammate David Tashasiuk reinforces the right-back’s thoughts of himself.
Tashasiuk stated: “He’s quite funny to be fair, chilled out, relaxed and quite laid back. He doesn’t cause any drama or anything like that. He’s a good guy to have around.”
Tashasiuk joined Derby’s midfield at the beginning of this season and has become good friends with Tavares. The full back expressed his thoughts on his teammate Tashasiuk.
“I’m not someone who is very outgoing, and I’ve never really made a lot of friends”, he admitted. “But I really like David (Tashasiuk) because he’s a very good person, a very hard-working kid and a good friend of mine.”
This will be the only season they play together, with it being Tashasiuk’s first and Tavares’s last. Could this friendship dynamic be a form of motivation to try and win something together?
Derby have been top of the table for the entirety of this season, conceding just two goals and scoring six, the only team in the 2B league who have won every single game.
Can Derby maintain their form and reclaim their spot in the Men’s Midlands Tier 1 league of BUCS?
And for Tavares, this fixture carries added significance: an opportunity to seize long-sought revenge against Loughborough.
