Derby last played West Brom in ‘that’ game at Wembley; since then both teams have had spells in the top league and are now just about in the same position as three years ago. The Baggies came into today’s game as hot favourites, once again challenging for promotion, but the Super Rams proved that they should never be underestimated on home turf.

This scintillating tie began at ferocious pace. The Rams burst out of the blocks keen to make an early mark; a low cross from Dean Moxey caused Scott Carson a headache as Hulse charged down his spillage. Unfortunately the Derby man was unable get there in time, but the tone had been set for the game.

West Brom took on Derby’s initiative and began to show just why they were challenging at the right half of the table. Some of the football they played was exquisite and easily the best seen at Pride park this season. It was however not enough to fluster the Rams who matched everything West Brom threw at them with well timed tackles and blocks.

The game took a testy turn on the half hour mark when Savage brought down Dorrans in a 50:50 challenge, the WBA youngster then appeared to kick out at Savage whilst still on the ground. All hell let loose. In a ruckus involving most players on the pitch the referee came perilously close to losing control of the game, his failure to spot the Dorrans kick was to prove one of many poor decisions made against both sides today.

Spurred on by the injustice Derby surged forward with Teale volleying the ball wide and then threatening again almost immediately after. The Scottish international fired a free kick towards goal, but was thwarted by a deflection and Carson’s acrobatics as he dived to push the ball over the bar.

Derby’s efforts were rewarded just shy of half time as the fantastic Dickov beat his man to get a shot in; the ball deflected off Olsson looping upwards off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net.

The second half continued in a similar end-to-end fashion. Derby came close to doubling their lead on the hour mark when the unusually anonymous Rob Hulse held the ball up well in the WBA box and fired a shot in on goal only to see it blocked by a West Brom defender.

West Brom desperate to take something home seemed to change up a gear as they began to bombard Derby with constant waves of attack. The encouragement from the Baggie’s travelling support intensified with 15 minutes to go when the appearance of former Villa man Lee Hendrie sent them into the fermenting rage of a rabid mongrel.

After holding on for so long the Rams finally relented with just 8 minutes on the clock; Chris Brunt played a deft ball across the six-yard box into the path of Simon Cox who deflected the ball into the net with his arm. Derby were furious, but the goal stood.

DJ Cambell replaced fellow Leicester loanee Dickov to make his debut in black and white. The pacey striker did well to maintain possession and almost created a winner as he set up Hulse from 18 yards. Campbell impressed again as a fought to keep the ball in play deep in West Brom’s half, but his efforts were ill rewarded as West Brom immediately broke and took the lead through a well crafted shot from Dorrans. Thousands of Pride Park hearts sank, and the shuffle towards exits began with immediate effect. As cries of ‘Hendrie, Hendrie what’s the score?’ rang out from the South Stand the man himself raced down field to latch onto long ball to set up DJ Campbell who headed Derby into Elysium.

BEAUTIFUL

Sheffield Wednesday probably fancied their chances upon their visit to Pride Park; the Rams had only managed to muster up three points from the previous six games, a run of form that can only be described as abysmal. Football however is an unpredictable game and despite capitulating midweek at Cardiff the Rams side which turned out today were a formidable force that returned an emphatic victory against their South Yorkshire visitors.

Derby’s side still ravaged by the injury plague affecting the club saw two changes from the side defeated so heavily at Cardiff; veteran striker Paul Dickov made his first start for the club, and Jay McEveley returned to action as a make shift centre back.

The Rams looked sharp right from the off, playing smart effective football. Rob Hulse came close twice within the first ten minutes; raging past the offside trap latching onto the through ball Livermore only to see Darren Purse get back in time to remove the danger, and then a header that with some more power may well have had the ex-Ram Lee Grant beaten in the Owl’s goal.

Derby’s positive play was rewarded on the 17^th minute. Paul Dickov showed his experience in the Wednesday box by shrugging off his marker with a deft turn before crossing to the unmarked Croft whose volley crashed off the underside of the bar and into the net.

Derby should have been two up just minutes later as Dean Moxey beat the defence only to fire his shot wide of far post.

The Rams looked confident going forward but also seemed able to soak up the Wednesday pressure at the back; surviving several attacks and a goal mouth scramble which ultimately resulted James O’Connor firing wide.

Derby doubled their lead just after the hour mark with an excellent shot from the charging Jay McEveley.  The centre back surprised everybody as he sprinted the length of the pitch to latch onto a ball from Lee Croft on the edge of the Wednesday box.

Victory was sealed by an injury time penalty converted by Rob Hulse; the Derby striker had been bundled down inside the box by Wood leaving the referee with no choice but to award a penalty to the Rams.

The importance of this win cannot be underestimated; as well putting the ghosts of recent weeks to bed, it sent the Rams into the international break on a high. Derby return to action in two weeks with a crunch tie at the Crisp Bowl.

The outlook for Derby’s first visit to the Cardiff City stadium seemed bright.  The victory against Bristol City on Saturday brought a welcoming halt to Derby’s concerning run of defeats.  Whilst the Rams looked wasteful in the final third, the centre half pairing of Shaun Barker and Dean Leacock seemed solid, bringing a defensive confidence so evidently absent in the previous two seasons.  Add to that Cardiff City’s recent poor form and lack of goals from striker Michael Chopra and Derby fans would have been forgiven for perhaps expecting a rare haul of 3 points on the road.

It wasn’t long before the newfound optimism was cruelly brought back to reality, as Derby began poorly.  The Derby back four played a poorly timed offside trap and Peter Whittingham took advantage, stroking the ball home from just a few yards out.  Things soon went from bad to worse, as Derby’s promising central defensive partnership was broken as Dean Leacock was replaced on the 30^th minute with a tight hamstring.  Jay McEveley, Leacock’s replacement, suffered a baptism of fire as Michael Chopra put the Bluebirds up by 2 soon after, slotting in after a sumptuous ball from wide left.

As the second half began Derby looked set to mount a come back; Rob Hulse pulling one back against the run of play.  The Rams striker beat Mark Hudson to a cross and toe-poked the ball past Cardiff keeper Marshall.  The comeback was quickly quashed as Derby capitulated under the constant pressure of Cardiff striker Michael Chopra.  Chopra made it 3-1 soon after, dashing through a gaping hole in Derby’s defence to squeeze the ball home.  Cardiff fans were still celebrating when Chopra completed his hatrick, benefitting off some woeful marking from Shaun Barker and exquisitely chipping the ball over Bywater.  Dean Moxey was to blame for the fifth; the promising youngster looked completely out of sorts throughout the entire match and his poor marking lead to Chris Burke inflicting further embarrassment.  Chopra still hadn’t finished though, he added his fourth late on.  Jay McEveley was at fault this time, Chopra turning the Derby defender unchallenged and finishing with utmost poise.

Nigel Clough recently appeared on Radio Derby on the back of Derby’s run of 4 defeats.  Press and fans alike were quick to lavish Clough with praise, highlighting his defiant approach and bravery in answering the calls of his critics, an attribute many managers notably lack.  The Bristol City result seemed to finally signal that Derby had turned the proverbial corner and all seemed rosy in the Derby camp.  This proved to be short lived and both the embarrassing score line and appalling performance left Derby fans humiliated.  Whilst perhaps the Middlesbrough defeat at home to West Brom stands to be spare Derby’s blushes for the worst defeat in this championship season so far, fans may feel increasingly apprehensive as Derby hang precariously above the gaping jaws of the relegation zone.  Many level headed fans will be keen to stress composure and perspective, but that is a difficult skill sect to possess given the similarity of manner of this defeat and the painful memories of our last ill fated Premier League season.  Whilst fans calling for Nigel’s head will remain firmly in the minority for the time being, Nigel’s injury ravaged Derby side need to put on a resolute display at home on Saturday, against high fliers Sheffield Wednesday, to silence the ever-growing doubters.

The Carling Cup was good to Derby County fans last season.  The impressive victory against Premier League Stoke and first leg triumph over Manchester United, the then European Champions, was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the football calendar.  Nigel Clough recognised this and assured Derby County fans that the strongest side possible would be fielded, but an injury to Steve Davies early on and an international call up to Kris Commons left Derby’s frontline worryingly thin.

Gary Teale deputised as the lone striker and started brightly, scoring in the 11th minute following a well-crafted cutback from Lee Croft.  However, that goal proved to be the peak for Derby. Teale struggled to cope with Rotherham’s physicality and cut an isolated figure up front.  Rotherham’s momentum built up as the first half drew on and they were rewarded with an equaliser as Paul Warne struck home on the stroke of half time.  The Derby defence failed to clear a Rotherham long ball by Jamie Green and journeyman Warne intuitively poached his second goal of the season.  Nigel Clough singled out centre back Miles Addison for criticism citing his lack of aerial prowess.

Things went from bad to worse in the second half as Kevin Ellison added the final touch to a fast Rotherham break, Warne capping off his impressive display with an assist.  Derby responded with a barrage of shots but Rotherham survived the onslaught with some resolute defending.   Dean Moxey fired just inches wide seconds before the final whistle.

Defeat to the league 2 side brings Derby crashing back to reality following the performance against Peterborough.  A series of sloppy mistakes at the back and an injury prone frontline leaves a sour taste of familiarity.  One can only hope the Rams can improve away to Scunthorpe on Saturday or else I feel another season of lower table struggle may be looming.