Football was once described as a funny old game but I can guarantee that no-one in black and white was smiling as our seemingly beleaguered rivals stunned the iPro and somehow went back up the A52 with the points.

If you were to read the pre-match build up, you’d have forgiven Forest for not turning up. Pearce’s ‘inevitable’ sacking would be secured with the Rams sure to score at least another five/ten/fifteen depending on what articles you read.

A side that couldn’t win a raffle coming to town and a manager who had his head on the block that the rampant Rams were going to chop off in style. The view from the outside maybe, but we have all been round football and this fixture long enough to know that anything can and often does happen.

Our own build up was also less than smooth. With Ibe recalled to keep the bench warm at Liverpool and with arguably a bigger blow in Eustace needing a knee op, there were conundrums to be solved in midfield.

After sinking a pre-match beverage or three and a brekkie that even Andy Reid would struggle to finish, I was relieved to see McClaren putting square pegs in square holes, choosing Mascarell and the nemesis of the Red Dogs, Ward, to start the game. Sir Craig Bryson was also recalled, with his hat-trick ensuring that he gets to play in this game for as long as he lives.

To the ground and into a wall of noise. You know it’s Derby day when even the toilets are shaking! Then the seemingly endless wait for the teams. Not wanting to look to the filth on the right-hand side. Willing an early goal. Willing 6 early goals. Finally, the sides were out.

With our necks just about recovered from constant skyward gazing, ‘admiring’ Ipswich’s football last weekend, I’m sure I saw Keogh and Buxton sneak on a trampoline, expecting to do more jumping to nullify another, shall we say direct opposition. Referee Madley (no, not THAT one) eventually brought all the talking to a close. Time for business.

Thankfully, it seemed as if the Rams didn’t share the nerves of the supporters, with a positive, front-foot start. Russell’s attempted pass through to Ward just didn’t come off, before Ward himself produced a low ball that was cleared, with Forest’s full-backs looking suspect in the early going.

On their first foray forwards, Forest won a corner, which was subsequently struck far too long for everybody. Further inspection then seemed to show Buxton had wrestled Antonio to the ground. With the action happening at the far end to me, in the words of Arsene Wenger… ‘I did not see it’.

Mascarell then tried to smash his way into Derby folklore, marauding forwards before shooting high and wide left-footed. More poor defending from Forest then saw the ball fall to Martin in the box, with his touch back to Bryson leading to a good block. Soon though, our pressure told.

Russell’s inswinging corner from the left received a slight flick at the near post. Showing the attacking prowess of Chris Martin, Lansbury showed exactly why he pockets £35,000 per week by powering an unstoppable header into the net. He chose against chucking in a celebration.

The next five minutes seemed to suggest that another drubbing could have been on the cards. We penned the ‘Dogs in, with a succession of corners. Sadly, no one managed to pick out Lansbury again, but we were soon desperately close to adding a second.

After a corner was cleared to the edge of the box, Ward beat a man before taking aim. His effort was deflected by Buxton, with the ball arrowing towards the net before De Vries brilliantly tipped over.

With Forest finally able to get out, it appeared that their game plan was to put as many balls as possible into the Rams area, typified by Antonio’s ‘long’ throws which were easily defended.

Our rivals’ attacking threat had about as much life as Billy Davies’ current managerial career, owing a lot to the tireless work of the Rams. Russell in particular won a number of good challenges high up the pitch, setting the tone for a largely dominant half.

After Hobbs had screwed harmlessly wide following a dead-ball, we were almost two up. Good play from Martin set Russell away down the right, with his early ball just too quick for the Alamo arriving. Next, Christie’s low centre was misjudged by Hobbs at the near post-Jamie Ward guilty of not anticipating the chance of a tap-in.

With the half drawing to a close, more excellent build up play saw Hughes in space twenty-five yards out. Russell made a run to his right, but Will checked inside and let fly. I confess, I thought it was another Derby-day thunderbolt to put in the same drawer as Johnny’s last year and was gutted to see the ball just fizz wide.

In the final knockings of the half, the ‘Dogs gave us all a reminder that the job was far than done. First, Lansbury kicked the ball in the correct direction, picking out Antonio behind a sleeping Forsyth before Buxton cleared his centre.

Next, Assombalonga gave Bucko the slip and stabbed an effort just over Grant’s crossbar, with Pearce pogo-ing on the touchline. It was to take more than that though to get his side up, with the Rams more than good value for their half-time lead.

The next goal would be crucial but there was very little to suggest that we couldn’t go on to record a routine victory. However, the balance arguably changed at half-time, with Hughes unable to continue and Hendrick on to replace him.

Still, it looked as though it would be business as usual, with the Rams pinning Forest in during the first ten of the second half. Christie almost added a killer second, picking up a loose ball and driving just wide left-footed.

And then it changed.

Despite my concentration, I definitely missed the bit where the magician came on and put a spell on us. Or maybe Pearce sabotaged the half-time brews? Maybe Fawaz had promised the Forest players a ride on his camels? Whatever happened, the game slowly drifted out of the palm of our hands.

It wasn’t as if Forest started creating chance after chance. The ball was however, spending far too much time in our box and in their possession. Suddenly, after an hour, we got edgy. Passes were going astray. The midfield battle slowly begun to be lost. We turned into Ipswich by hoofing the ball long. And Forest lapped it up.

A scrappy game was always going to suit them more than us. All of a sudden, we conceded a couple of corners, which were less than brilliantly defended. That seemed the only way Forest were ever going to score, yet we were guilty of giving away far too many set-pieces.

After Grant, looking suspect for a first time in a while, flapped at one, he was grateful for Buxton’s heroic block to deny Wilson a leveller. What was more concerning was the fact that we were arguing amongst ourselves. Lacking an old head. Lacking a John Eustace.

With the nervousness tangible in the crowd, Forest began to assert themselves further. Our midfield were winning very little second ball. It was turning into a slog.

Yet another set-piece pinged around the box, before Wilson’s stabbed shot trickled through to Grant. We needed to take the sting out, put our foot on the ball and get back to playing football. What we actually did was gift them an equaliser.

Another needless free kick was conceded on our right. The free kick delivery wasn’t great, but our defending was worse. Keogh’s clearance hit one of our own men, with the ball then diverting back off Keogh’s toe right into the path of Assombalonga, who turned and poked it in. 1-1.

Game very much on.

The fans to my right were all of a sudden making all the noise. McClaren needed to change things and did so, with Bent coming on for a debut in place of Ward.

Truth be told, I wasn’t expecting to have to bite my fingernails at half-time but they were almost bitten off during the final-ten. I’d like to say that’s what you want from a local derby but I’d be lying!

Bent had the chance to be a hero but he just couldn’t take Mascarell’s clever ball into his stride. At the other end, a couple of corners were nervously defended by the Rams. With time running out, Forsyth’s long free-kick was helped on by Keogh to Martin, who was always stretching as he volleyed high and wide.

With the board showing four added minutes, Forest again forced a corner. With me now watching through my hands, we managed to survive and Grant was set to launch forwards.

Instead of holding position and seeing the game out, the Rams, Christie and Hendrick in particular, decided to play as auxiliary strikers, pushing on far too much up the pitch. Grant delivered. Bent lost his header. Mascarell was left two on one. One slipped it to two-two being Osborn, who had a huge, gaping, Christie shaped hole to run in to.

And he ran. And ran. And kept running. With a willing runner speeding up to Osborn’s left, Keogh backed off and backed off until he could back off no more on the edge of the box. He could do nothing though as Osborn’s strike flew into the net beyond Grant as his near post.

Pandemonium in the away end. Sheer disbelief in the home. We rolled the dice and had lost. Big time. The sort of goal you see a team score during the last ebbs of a knockout cup-tie against a side pushing for an equaliser. Not at 1-1 in a local derby. It was devastating.

I barely even got excited when the ball was knocked into the Forest box as we tried to snatch a late leveller. The ball was cleared. We had lost. An inconceivable thought at the hour mark.

To add to the frustration, the sight of Assombalonga goading Buxton at full-time time made my blood boil. Even more so did the sight a moron going onto the pitch and assaulting Forest’s Wilson before being dragged away. Hearing people clap him off to the cells made me question if I was actually having a nightmare.

But no. The day after it still says 1-2.

A hugely frustrating result, not least given the fact it was against them, but more so the fact that we were so comfortable and blew it. The arguments. The lack of shape. The lack of a leader.

Hughesy’s withdrawal was a massive blow but one that we can and should have adapted to better. The lack of John Eustace was a huge blow but one that we will have for at least a number of weeks. It is how we adapt to these types of set-backs that will either see us sink or swim.

We were bitten by Dogs this week. Next week must be better. I know it will be.

This result hurts. Of course it does. But losing the Brian Clough Trophy will matter for little if we can get the Championship one to replace it. New signings chomping at the bit combined with a seething group of players and gaffer - I would not like to be Chesterfield next week.

We go again. After we’ve had our tetanus jabs.

Weston’s Player Ratings

Lee Grant — 5: As poor as he has been this season. Looked jittery, not commanding and arguably could have stopped the winner. He’ll be back.

Cyrus Christie — 6: A decent showing but cost us a point with his wandering in stoppage time.

Richard Keogh — 6: Will be laughed at again in Nottm this week but did ok.

Jake Buxton — 6: Battled well with Assombalonga and won most headers.

Craig Forsyth — 6: Steady without being spectacular.

Omar Mascarell — 6: Despite obviously missing Eustace, don’t think he should be scapegoat. Won a lot in the middle of the park, but went missing, with others, during 2nd half.

Craig Bryson — 6: Ran his heart out but no hat-trick this year!

Will Hughes — 7: Made things tick in the first half. Massive miss in the second.

Jamie Ward — 6: Glimpses of what he can do but maybe bit of ring-rust. Will be better in a couple of weeks.

Johnny Russell — 7: Threatening first half, didn’t get the ball enough in second. Tireless work.

Chris Martin — 7: Good first half but starved of any type of service in the second.

Subs:

Jeff Hendrick — 5: A passenger.

Darren Bent — 6: Played out of position. Need to find the balance for him.

Match Info / Rams Team:

Ref: Andy Madley

Crowd: 32,705

Derby: Grant; Christie, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth; Mascarell, Bryson, Hughes (Hendrick 45’), Russell, Ward (Bent 76’), Martin

Unused Subs: Roos, Naylor, Bennett, Calero, Shotton.

Match Stats — Derby / Forest:

Goals: Lansbury (o.g 16’), Assombalonga (75’), Osborn (90 + 2’)

Possession: 51% - 49%

Shots On Target: 1 - 4

Shots Off Target: 11 - 16

Corners: 8 - 7

Fouls: 14 — 19

We Said / They Said - Match Reaction:

We Said — Steve McClaren:

"I can't fault the first-half performance. We were focused, played when we had to, dominated and restricted them to set-plays. They were playing opportune football."

"But we showed our inexperience at the end, thinking that with 30 seconds left we should go and try to win it. We lost all shape and got punished. The first half we played like us, the second half was not us."

They said — Stuart Pearce:

"For the team to deliver a performance like that, it puts a marker down for the rest of the season. It's a nice result but it has to be a result that acts as a catalyst and sees us have a good run between now and the summer hopefully, because we have the nucleus of a decent squad here.”

"It's important that we now move forward from here and follow it up with another good result in the next game."

Highlights / Post Match Interviews:

Up Next For The Rams:

Derby vs. Chesterfield

FA Cup 4th Round - iPro Stadium

15:00pm - Saturday 24th January

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls