Last Wednesday at Blackburn it was the Jamie Ward Show as our diminutive winger had a hand in four out of the five goals in a thriller, including losing the ball tamely for the Rovers first.

Ward more than made up for that by pushing the home player to the floor as he later scored and we ran out 3-2 winners.

Referee David Webb came under fire for letting virtually everything go, it did though make for the most exciting game of the season, a real cracker, only the crossbar and some last ditch Derby defending saw us escape with the three points.

Along with the points, the performance raises the expectations, we now feel we will win it's only a matter of time.

Saturday, and it was time to remember Clough. The tenth anniversary of Sir Brian's death. A wonderful black and white (what else) collage and vintage movie clips played over the big screen, it ended with applause from both sets of fans and possibly a few tears before Andre Marriner got the game against Cardiff underway.

Then stopped it.

Frequently.

And whilst he may have been correct in his interpretation of the rules of the game, the pernickety and puerile way he applied them won him few friends. A good ref is one you don't see like a conductor of an orchestra, it's the flowing music that's more important.

Under Marriner the match flowed like treacle at minus 30 degrees, it was turgid refereeing and the game suffered.

The praise for Clough, on ten minutes the whole ground stood and applauded as one, Rams and Blue Birds together.

Despite a first half that the Rams bossed with an unchanged side, we reached half time goalless.

Second half, a quick cuddle and hug for Kenwyne Jones and former teammate Ryan Shotton and then it started.

Cardiff pushed forward and were more direct. A corner, Zak Whitbread lost his man on the far post, a header back into the six yard box and Aron Gunnarsson had time and space to flip his body into an overhead kick that planted the ball fairly and squarely in the back of the net.

Trailing by one goal, we soon made it two; a poor clearance by Whitbread, the red dragons Peter Whittingham made it two. Two attacks, two goals, a better ratio than on Wednesday when Blackburn had thirteen shots to score the same number.

McClaren changed things, Jordon Ibe finished a low cross with aplomb and Craig Bryson rifled home an equaliser.

Eventually time ran out and the points were shared at 2 - 2.

A fair result on finishing only.

We expected more.

And that shows me how far we have come in a short time under our new boss.

Come On You Rams!

Photo: Action Images

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