With our relegation battle mathematically over, things had calmed down in the Rams camp. But it didn’t do anything for our confidence during the trip to Suffolk for our second-to-last game.

The first half was pretty quiet although Derby seemed like the better side. There were no major attempts on goal but with Peschisolido, El Hamdaoui and Kevin Lisbie out on injury, it was going to be a pretty defensive game on our part, especially considering our away form of late.

It was only a minute into the second half when Ipswich’s Nicky Forster put one past Lee Camp to give the home side the lead. Darren Currie secured the three points for Ipswich in the 63rd minute from his half-volley into the bottom corner.

Next week sees our last game of the season at home to Sheffield Wednesday. We can hardly say this season’s campaign has been great but we can take a lot from it and, hopefully, Mr Westley can sort out the team for the 2006/7 season.

Match Reports: BBC | DCFC

Filed by Si at 5:58 pm under Fixtures
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Yet another single goal draw secured our campaign against relegation when Hull travelled to Pride Park for Easter Bank Holiday.

Hull took the lead in the 33rd minute due to a lack of communication and decision in the Ram’s defence when Stuart Green thrashed an impressive 20-yard half volley into the back of our net. But it took the rest of the game for the Rams to get the goal they deserved. It was a definite late foul from Scott Wiseman on Peschy which opened up a penalty chance for the home side and it was our current hero Tommy Smith who converted from the spot to give Derby the point they needed in the dying minutes.

With two games left, Derby look to be safe from relegation but this does not mean a relaxing summer for the boys. They need to train hard and push themselves to put Derby back where they belong next season - at the top!

Match Reports: BBC | DCFC

Filed by Si at 11:01 pm under Fixtures
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Considering our away performance hasn’t been great, our match at Loftus Road could have been a lot worse!

The first half showed neither side were capable of creating goals and it was only a late shot from QPR’s Gareth Ainsworth that showed any potential of breaking the deadlock.

It was in the second half when the majority of the action happened. Soon into the second half, Marc Nygaard nodded in a cross from Paul Furlong for the home side. It was less than 10 minutes later when Ram Tommy Smith knocked in a superb left-footed shot which finished the goals for the game.

Match Reports: BBC | DCFC

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It was Tommy Smith who secured 3 vital points against fellow relegation potential’s Milwall this weekend and lifted our chances of steering clear of the dropzone.

While Milwall dominated the majority of the match, they just didn’t have the ability to create any real chances to threaten the Rams. Thanks to Tommy Smith’s low shot in the 31st minute, we managed to clinch the game and add another 3 points to our campaign.

With 4 games left of the season and Crewe needing 12 points to jump above is, things are looking comfortable. It doesn’t mean we can sit back and relax. Our away performance hasn’t exactly been perfect so we need to travel to QPR and take at least a point next week. On the positive side, that’s our 4th home win in a row. It shows we do have something!

Match Reports: BBC | DCFC

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The less said about the match against Reading the better really. Yes, they have won the Championship by beating us and yes, they’ve done it with 5 games to go. But did they really need to take five goals over us in the space of 20 minutes?

It seemed like a pretty even match for the first half. Noone really broke away and there were no major attempts on goal from either party. But just before the hour, the Royals’ James Harper skipped over a few tackles to score the first goal for the home team. It wasn’t long before another one went in and the game was well and truly tied up after 20 minutes of good performance from the new Championship winners.

Fair play to Reading - they have had a good season and they should be able to put up some stiff competition in The Big League (aka. Premiership). But that’s not important to us. We’ve still got to take on the relegation battle and avoid dropping any more points. We’re still safe but we also need to take maximum points against Milwall this coming weekend. With 5 games left, the competition doesn’t offer any serious threats: Milwall, Hull and Sheffield Wednesday at home, QPR and Ipswich away. We have the potential to take every team coming up over the next five weeks so fingers crossed and keep supporting the Rams.

Match Reports: BBC | DCFC

Filed by Si at 12:16 pm under Fixtures
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