Rams held to bore draw at Blackpool

Blackpool 0 Derby County 0

Bloomfield Road has in recent years proven to be a bit of a bogey ground for the Rams, perhaps it’s the sea air, the fish & chips or the distraction of the nearby pleasure beach; whatever the reason  many Rams fans probably felt that they stood a greater chance of winning in the Pier Amusements than celebrating three points tonight.

Several changes were made to tonight’s line up; Commons and Hulse both made their first starts of the season, whilst ex-Blackpool defender Barker was on the bench poised to make his first league appearance for the Rams against his former club.

The first half was a rather dismal affair, and whilst it was nice to see the Derby defence stand resolute, the lack of offensive power from Derby’s strike force gave little hope that it would be the Ram’s who would break the deadlock.

The second half offered more promise as the Rams finally had some realistic chances on goal, but whilst Addison and Hulse both came close; neither of their attempts was on target.

Perhaps the closest we came to seeing a goal come from today’s game, came from Alex Baptiste, who’s thundering shot from 25yards was pushed away from certain glory by a fully stretched diving Steven Bywater.

For Derby today represented a vastly improved performance from Saturday’s efforts at Scunthorpe, and the clean sheet will be greatly anticipated.  The game itself will be forgotten in the depths of midweek melancholia.