As is often the case with the Rams things started so well and ended so badly. The officials did their best to ensure it was never going to be easy as a first half lead was pulled in and passed by the Boro.

Derby County 1 vs. 2 Middlesbrough

7:45pm Tuesday 8th March 2011

The Riverside - Middlesbrough

Attendance: 13,712 – Half a Pride Park (312 Travelling Rams)

Teams:

Boro:

Smith, McDonald (Zemmama 75), Bailey, Lita, Robson, Hines, Williams, Taylor, Bennett, McMahon, Smallwood (Emnes 59)

Unused Substitutes: Ripley, Haas, Kink, Grounds, Tavares

Yellow Cards: Bailey (Lucky boy), Hines, Zemmama

Goals: Brayford (OG 74'), Zemmama (89')

Rams:

Fielding, Brayford, Barker, Ayala, Roberts, Doyle (B Davies 75), Pearson, Green, Addison, Ward (Porter 46), Robinson

Unused Substitutes: Duke, Bueno, Savage, S Davies, Buxton

Yellow Cards: Porter, Roberts, Green

Goals: Ward (32' - Penalty)

Match Stats:

Possession: Boro 54% - Rams46%

Shots On Target: Boro 7 – Rams 0

Shots Off Target: Boro 1 - Rams 1

Corners : Boro 6 – Rams 4

Fouls: Boro 7 – Rams 16

Most Fouls: Lita (2) - Robinson (4)

Match Report by D.Sawit:

Addison and Doyle replaced Savage and the injured Cywka in the Rams starting line up. The slightly changed Derby team started brighter and looked the better of two nervous teams both desperately searching for points.

Derby were definitely on top over the opening forty five minutes without being spectacular as the home teams nervous and stuttering play was at best poor.

The Rams had failed to put their dominance on the scoresheet until after the half hour mark when a precise through ball from Miles Addison, triggered a neat one-two between Theo Robinson and Jamie Ward. Ward was then brought down in the box by Boro defender Nicky Bailey and a penalty awarded.

The next bit should have been text book - last defender, denying a scoring opportunity – don’t even need to check the rule book for that one….. well I didn’t anyway but someone else should have!

Amazingly Bailey stayed on the pitch when it seemed to be obvious to all it was clearly a red-card offence, all except the man with the whistle who pulled out a card to match his level of bravery.

Ward stepped up and converted the spot-kick but debate over the decision raged long into the night and again this morning and that was just in my head. Perhaps we should have seen what was to come when that decision was made, it felt like David James all over again and in the end it pretty much was.

Before the half time whistle Derby had the ball in the net again. Christ Porter headed home truly and as Rams fans celebrated the goal was ruled offside.

As the ball went in, Boro fans had their heads in hands, Rams fans were celebrating and even Boro’s radio station were sure it was a goal as they broadcast their belief it was clearly on side.

But once again the officials had different ideas and again implemented a rule from a text book that no-one but them as yet has been privy to. I look forward to its release although I believe it will only be available in brail.

The game was ours to lose from 0-1 up but the extra defenders Boro had on the day sporting whistle or flag, were always going to make it tough going in the second half.

HT: 0-1

You felt that if Porter’s goal had stood the fight would have been beaten from the home side and the Rams may have flattened them.

Instead Boro’s two moments of good fortune gave them a lesser mountain to climb and in the second half they had changed into their hiking boots.

The pressure on the Rams was enormous as Barker, Brayford and Ayala stood tall as it seemed as if only they stood between Boro and the points on offer.

The teams had changed ends and it seems attitudes as now Derby were ineffectual and poor, while Middlesbrough were probing, pushing and looking the goods to score.

It seemed as if for a solid half an hour the ball continually entered the Rams area and for half an hour they managed to repel attacks in whatever way they could, pretty or otherwise.

Ironically it was one of the Rams up to that point impenetrable wall that scored the goal. Seb Hines 74th minute header took a deflection off the helpless John Brayford which left Frank Fielding stranded as the ball nestled in the net.

Fielding was not stranded when he produced a stunning save to deny Robson that would not have looked out of place if he had been between the sticks in a Champions League fixture (hands off Arsenal!!). Most keepers would have conceded in the same circumstance but the Rams lucky talisman did his best all day to preserve his status of superior stopper, with a series of sensational saves.

Sadly even the brilliant Fielding could not save Merouane Zemmama's 89th-minute winner as the Moroccan struck truly from the edge of the box for his first goal on Teesside.

In the lead up to the hammer blow, Ben Davies gave away the ball cheaply, so cheaply in fact that it could have been purchased in an alley from the back of a stolen lorry.

If Cywka was less than intelligent not so long ago, should the same Clough intelligence measuring stick be applied to Davies, he would struggle to open a door. Mind you he did manage to do just that for the winning goal.

There was nothing more left to see and little more to do than lament poor play in the final 45 minutes and poorer officials for 90. It was all she wrote and the Rams once again travelled home empty handed.

FT: 2-1

The loss leaves Derby a place lower than they were at kick off, yet still 6 points clear of the relegation places.

You know things are getting nervy when even a loss for Forest brings little or no joy as they went down to our fellow strugglers in Sheffield United.

Plus a win for fourth bottom Crystal Palace over Cardiff showed that a challenge seems more and more likely to come from behind before the end of the season.

The Rams will need to improve if they are going to be good enough to answer critics and any challenge from the bottom three. That or hope they score a referee who actually knows the rules.

As that is unlikely it may be best to just work on improving.

D.Sawit's Man Of The Match: 

Frank Fielding - Two went in but without Frank it would have been so much worse! For further information, research last two Cardiff results.

Manager’s Reaction:

Nigel Clough speaking after he watched 3 points become 0.

"It was an unbelievable opportunity to extend the gap between ourselves and the bottom three and I feel we threw three points away.” 

"We were very good indeed in the first half, but the second half was disappointing and once again we had an inability to put the ball in the right areas at the right time in the game." 

"We were on top for large parts of the first half, but when you are on top like that you need to score more than one goal. From the bench we could see Middlesbrough were tentative in front of their fans and a second would have probably killed them off, but as a team we didn't sense it." 

"We felt we should have been playing against 10 men after the penalty; it was a key point in the game but it doesn't hide our failings at times in the second half.” 

"Frank Fielding made some fantastic saves in goal and it was a real kick in the teeth to lose it so late. Hopefully we can make amends on Saturday against Swansea at Pride Park."

Next Match:

Derby County vs. Swansea City

3pm - Saturday 12th March

Pride Park Stadium; Derbyshire

Photo: Action Images

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