Listening to Radio Derby after yesterday’s game, a caller called Baz had the audacity to complain about the home side’s performance. Commentators Ed Dawes and ex-Ram Craig Ramage were having none of it.
Support for their views was loud and ready, and although they admitted some callers shared Baz’s views, none of those were aired. The power of the media eh!
Therefore following on and taking their lead, only the good things will be mentioned and praised. No names will be given of those who didn’t perform well or made mistakes (they may be a little clue here and there though).
A cold day, a wind that blew, an occasional burst of sunshine, a taste of the summer hopefully to come.
Like a patient with a cold, coughing and spluttering, we made it over the line.
A 3-1 victory courtesy of an own goal and two sending offs.
We didn’t play well, misplaced passes abounded, I’m sure I counted many especially on 3, 6 and 19 minutes.
We looked like ‘Bambi On Ice’ as we slipped and tripped through the game.
That’s Rich I thought.
Our finishing was poor. We blasted over like a JCB finding an I.E.D. when it was easier to score.
We slipped six yards out skying the ball over the bar. And one on one we failed to plant the ball into the back of the net, you could say we didn’t dig deep enough.
Only Johnny Russell was exempt, a beautiful chip over the keeper as he raced onto George Thorne’s game splitting pass.
The rest was a farce, poor defending for Huddersfield’s goal, Danny Ward on the Derby left given acres of space, Watford I hear you asking and you’d be right.
Ward, not ours, twisted and turned twice before producing a low fast inch perfect cross that was ignored by the rest of the Rams rearguard and tapped home by Nahki Wells. It was good simple football, a lead deserved by the Terriers.
Granted, should have done better but our keeper Lee did produce a couple of wonder saves to keep the score line low.
Terriers they were too. In our faces, closing us down, giving us little time on the ball and wasting it when they had it. That’s not a whinge, it’s a compliment given the respective places in the table.
Time wasting saw Joel Lynch take too long for a throw and a yellow card issued and then when the fullback’s high leg took out Patrick Bamford in front of the dugout, a second yellow finished his day.
Down to ten men, two banks of four and a solitary striker we struggled to break them down.
A cross from Craig Forsyth from the left was routine. Alex Smithies on his near post went to claim and like the Royal Mail, the ball got lost in the post and was found in the net. A Gary Spreake farce for those old codgers who watched football in the Seventies.
The Russell goal, pure class, made it 2-1.
When Peter Clarke slid in feet first and our Reptonian School boy dived like a European Swallow to win the penalty, the game was over as a contest. Clarke saw yellow for the second time and the visitors were down to nine.
Chris Martin sent Smithies the wrong way and we took a 3-1 lead.
Two banks of four frustrated the fans and Derby had no ideas to get past the Yorkshire picket line. The addition of substitutes added little and in the stands we were reduced to the entertainment of Martin squaring up to one of their remaining centre halves.
Will he head butt him, won’t he?
Excitement, a promise that never actually came.
So job done.
Three points.
It’s all that matters really.
Referee: Darren Deadman
Attendance: 25,809 (785 Touring Terriers)
Derby County:Grant (GK); Wisdom, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth (Naylor 70'), Thorne (Hendrick 70'), Hughes, Bryson, Bamford (Ward 67'), Russell, Martin.
Unused Subs: Legzdins (GK), Whitbread, Eustace, Sammon.
Goals: Russell (28’), Smithies - OG (50’), Martin — Pen (57’)
Huddersfield: Smithies (GK), Woods, Norwood (Wallace 59'), Clarke, Hogg, Clayton, Ward, Hammill (Smith 45'), Wells (Scannell 74'), Lynch, Gerrard.
Unused Subs: Bennett (GK), Gobern, Holmes, Bunn.
Goals: Wells (14')
Doncaster vs. Derby
Keepmoat Stadium
7:30pm — Friday 18th of April