Derby County – League Championship winners………….
If proof was needed regarding the unrelenting nature of the Sky Bet Championship, the Pride Park meeting this week between Derby County and Blackburn Rovers provided all the necessary evidence.
Despite ending goalless it was far from a drab encounter, Derby producing at least an hours worth of imaginative football that should have yielded a couple of first half goals, while Blackburn, back from a one season stay in Division One, displayed nothing like the same enterprise but gained a hard-earned point through a combination of good fortune and resolute defending.
Both sides went into the match with barely seventy two hours to stew over results that would have put a crimp in their respective weekends. An injury time Aston Villa equaliser at Ewood Park denied Blackburn three points, making what appeared at face value a creditable draw feel like a defeat, while for Derby a 1-0 reversal at Rotherham United raised questions about their aspirations of making a serious promotion challenge – an uncomfortable afternoon in South Yorkshire made worse by the dismissal of midfield man Tom Lawrence and sight of manager Frank Lampard being sent to the stands for arguing with match officials.
Lampard was back in the technical area on Tuesday – the first such misconduct offence of his fledgling managerial career bringing a £2,000 pound fine but no touchline ban – as Derby quickly hit their stride, England U-21 midfielder Mason Mount soon to the fore and remaining an influential figure throughout the match, the on-loan Chelsea player doing much that would have endeared him to watching England manager Gareth Southgate.
By deploying Adam Armstrong as a loan striker Blackburn made clear their intentions of playing on the counter, but even then struggled to contain the home side who began with great purpose, the first half pressure building to a crescendo around the half hour mark when Mount saw his drive deflected over the bar, the ensuing corner resulting in Fikayo Tomori having an overhead kick blocked on the line before the visitors managed to clear their lines. The respite was only brief as full-back Jayden Bogle burst into the penalty area where his effort was blocked by Rovers goalkeeper David Raya, who excelled again shortly afterward in saving from Omar Bogle, Mount then having another effort ricochet wide following a frantic goalmouth scramble.
With his side unable to stem the assault on their goal Rovers manager Tony Mowbray waited only 32 minutes before changing tack, withdrawing Craig Conroy in favour of Danny Graham and while this move gave the Derby defence more to contend with it was the home side who continued to hold sway, Raya ensuring Blackburn reached the interval on level terms when his fingertips thwarted a swerving shot from Mason Bennett.
Kept at bay in the first half by commendable goalkeeping and last ditch defending after the break it was the crossbar that frustrated Derby, Mason crashing a free-kick against the woodwork from twenty five yards, but then in a rare incursion downfield it was Blackburn who went within a whisker of breaking the deadlock – Bradley Dack unable to give Rovers an unlikely lead when he shot into the side-netting after rounding County goalkeeper Scott Carson.
Although the persistent threat of a Derby goal was beginning to ebb it required a timely interception from Richie Smallwood to keep Blackburn on terms and despite having to withstand the introduction of expensively purchased Derby substitutes Martyn Waghorn and Jack Marriott as Lampard freshened his attack, Rovers managed to hold out as the evening ended in frustration for the home side, a point almost begrudgingly accepted with their first half endeavours still so fresh in the mind.
While their neat, often expansive football should keep Derby in contention for a play-off place anything more is likely to rest on being less profligate in front of goal. On another night they might have sent the home support away in raptures having taken a few of their chances but as it stands they seem destined to move within the pack rather than lead the field. Passing the statue of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor on leaving the ground, a quick look up at those veritable men of yesterday prompted the thought they would approve of the strategy but not the squandering. As for Blackburn their strong sense of collective determination and willingness to toil will stand them in mid-table stead if they can curb a tendency to be wasteful in possession. In varying ways and for different reasons both sides have improvements to make, forward steps to be taken – lessons to be learnt in a hurry as the perpetual challenge of the Sky Bet Championship brings a further seven league fixtures before the end of October.
NEIL SAMBROOK is the author of MONTY’S DOUBLE – an acclaimed thriller now available as an Amazon Kindle Book.