The Rams fielded an unchanged side for the visit of Swansea City, but once again found themselves stifled in their quest for three points. 

Both sides made bright starts to the game, however it was Derby who were to take the lead. Robbie Savage was denied a repeat of his stunning free kick at Doncaster midweek by an excellent block from keeper Dorus de Vries, the rebound was met by Chris Porter who slid the ball in for his first Derby goal. 

The Rams continued to push forward and on 19 minutes counted themselves unlucky to have a penalty claim turned down by referee Phil Crossley; Rob Hulse had been charging down on goal only to be brought down by de Vries.  Within the minute Hulse was once again cursing his luck after a close range effort knocked in from the cross of Steve Davies was ruled out for offside. 

Derby were to double their lead shortly after the restart; Chris Porter grabbing his second of the game after latching onto Paul Connolly’s long clearance to coolly place the ball past de Vries following a one on one with the Swansea keeper.  

The Rams however despite all their efforts were unable to hold onto their lead. Angel Rangel pulled one back for the visitors; volleying Gomez’s free kick off the post and into the net. With Pintado scoring off the bar with two minutes left on the clock to make it all square. 

Derby still did not give up the cause, having already hit the woodwork twice courtesy of Teale and Davies the Rams went close again to sealing the tie up only to see Paul Green’s rasping volley turned over the crossbar. 

A rain soaked Pride Park crowd saw a strong performance from a Derby side who were on the night unable to overcome Swansea’s stylish play, however this certainly was not a performance to get downhearted over, and if the Rams play like this in the coming weeks then Championship survival is all but secured.  

After the successful game against Sheffield United at the weekend, Derby were hoping to extend their winning streak with the first of two games during their trip to Wales this week.

It was looking good for the majority of the game. Derby fought a strong game and managed to take the lead in the 63rd minute when Stephen Pearson blasted in Nathan Ellington’s cross to take Derby 1-0 up.

But those dreams of the first away win in 18 months were shattered after fifteen minutes when Ashley Williams managed to connect with Jordi Gomes’ corner, heading in the equaliser.

While it’s a shame to have lost that opportunity of two wins in a row, things are certainly picking up for Derby and we can take a lot from the last few games to improve on our ability, and actually compete with the rest of the league rather than sit at the bottom.

Next up – Cardiff!