Shaun Barker made his first start in nearly three years by playing for Derby County's Under-21s against Doncaster Rovers on Wednesday afternoon.
The 32-year-old defender has not played since sustaining a serious knee injury in the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Forest in March 2012.
He returned to training last month and has now stepped up his lengthy recovery by getting through 45 minutes of a 1-1 draw in a Final Third Development Cup game.
George Thorne, who has yet to make an appearance for the Rams after joining permanently from West Bromwich Albion last summer, played 86 minutes.
Barker has played 105 times for Derby and remains club captain at the iPro Stadium.
