Following on from the much-needed clean sheet at Blackpool, Derby hosted Plymouth at Pride Park, a side who had failed to beat the Rams in their previous 6 attempts.  With the return of key players Commons and Hulse, the outlook for Derby was bright.  However, concerns about the fitness of both Commons and Hulse meant Steve Davies lead the line, the starting 11 the same as the previous home match to Peterborough with the exception of Tottenham loanee Jake Livermore who replaced the unfit Paul Green.

Plymouth started the brightest, dominating possession but crucially lacking in the final third.  It took a lunge from new signing Jake Buxton for Plymouth to make the breakthrough, chopping down Alain Judge on the edge of the area.  Whilst the penalty itself was debatable, Clough highlighting the proximity to the edge of the box in his post-game interview, the finish was resolute.

The first goal seemed to spark Derby into life.  The Rams began to create numerous openings, Miles Addison making the most of a Teale Corner only to be denied by some shrewd goal line defending.  It wasn’t until just before the break they finally drew level, Jake Buxton making amends for conceding the penalty with an astute finish from just outside the 6-yard box following a scrappy goalmouth scramble.

The second half began with a concerning leg injury to Steve Davies.  Following a promising pre-season it’s a bitter blow to lose Davies, especially given injury plagued his debutant season with the Rams.  His replacement Hulse performed well as lone striker and set up numerous chances that Derby failed to capitalise on.  The game seemed destined for a draw until the final stages.  Alain Judge missed a gilt-edged chance for Plymouth, firing over following a fast counter attack. In the final seconds Derby responded with an incredible Miles Addison header from a Gary Teale corner, yet another well worked set piece

Derby finish the opening 4 games with an impressive 7 points from a possible 12.  However, the promising start must be taken with a pinch of salt as all the opposition so far are heavily touted as relegation candidates and undoubtedly Derby face much more difficult ties ahead; none other than a trip to the City Ground next weekend.

Since Nigel Clough took over at Derby County, the team’s performance has gone from strength to strength with fantastic performances against F*rest, Coventry and even in the defeats against Birmingham and Man Utd.

Derby’s trip to Plymouth’s Home Park was their opportunity to creap out of relegation, even leap-frog their opponents.

Just before the half time whistle, it was Gary Teale who gave Derby the lead when his huge 25-yard effort came off the bar and over the line.

After the break, it didn’t take long for Derby to double their lead with a trademark goal, seeing Rob Hulse connect with a cross from Kris Commons.

Some quick fire play and an assist from Gary Teale a few minutes later gave Hulse the opportunity to knock home his 13th goal of the season, his fifth in six games.

Another fantastic, solid perfomance from Derby show a side who have a new-found confidence with their new manager. Let’s hope this is the start of something beautiful, maybe even reminiscent of two seasons ago.

After the break for international World Cup qualifiers, Derby were refreshed, full of determination to continue their unbeaten run of six games to further their campaign for the 2008/9 season.

The first game of many over the next five weeks was at home against Plymouth Argyle, who were also determined to maintain their positive start to the season.

Unfortunately, it were the travellers who hit the back of the net first through Paul Gallacher‘s 25 yard strike in the 8th minute.

The scoreline didn’t change for the majority of the first half until the dying minutes when Kris Commons‘ cut-back for Rob Hulse to connect from 12 yards, bring the Rams back into the game.

It wasn’t long after the break before Derby managed to up the ante after Paul Green‘s shot was tipped on to the post by Plymouth’s Roman Larrieu before it trickled over the line.

This is the seventh game of Derby’s unbeaten run which just goes to show the potential in the team. Let’s hope similar results are possible in our future games against Blackpool, Coventry, Norwich and the big clash against Nottingham Forest on Sunday 2nd (which will be airing on Sky Sports for those wanting to watch the game).