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RamsFan Report: Derby Down Donny In 5 Goal Thriller!
RamsFan Report: Derby Down Donny In 5 Goal Thriller!
Wednesday, 20th Oct 2010 13:49 by I.Saw

Two nil up and Derby are coasting to victory. Two mad, mad, minutes, two all. Two extra points regained as the Rams squeeze home by a 3-2 margin.

 

Doncaster Rovers 2 vs. 3 Derby County

Tuesday 19th October 2010 - 17:45

Keepmoat Stadium

Doncaster

 

Referee: Mr K Evans

Attendance: 9000 (inc. over a thousand travelling Rams)

Teams:

Doncaster Rovers: Sullivan, Dumbuya, Hird, Webster, Mills (Lockwood 82), Coppinger, Gillett (M Woods 39), Stock, Oster (Hayter 77), Shiels, Sharp.

Subs: Grayson, Jones, G Woods, Husband.

Yellow Cards: Mills, Coppinger, Stock

Goals: Shiels (66', 68')

Derby County: Fielding, Brayford, Barker, Leacock, Moxey, Bailey, Green, Cywka, Commons (Anderson 89), Bueno (Savage 78), Moore (Kuqi 64).

Subs: Atkins, Roberts, Pringle, Doyle.

Booked: Moore, Barker

Goals: Moore (19), Commons (59 & 72)

RamsFan Report by I.Saw:

A cold cloudless night, winter coming early, low floodlights illuminate and dazzle. It’s the Keepmoat Stadium it’s a Tuesday and it’s a stern test for a Derby side that rests Savage and Kuqi.

It’s a test that starts as no contest. From the off yellow shirts buzz, the ball is sprayed, caressed, and treated with care. “When did we last have a lucky goal”? was the question on Saturday after Moxey’s cross was turned in by the Preston keeper. 

“When did we last get anything from the referee” could be this weeks’ as Mr K Evans blocks a clearance and in doing so presents an inch perfect ball to Kris Commons feet. Commons races down the left, a low cross and Luke Moore slides the ball past Neil Sullivan to put the Rams into the lead after twenty minutes. Doncaster understandably weren’t happy with the “blade of grass” that passed to Commons as refs like to call themselves.

Billy Sharp’s hopes of levelling the scores seemed to rely heavily upon joining with the grass at every opportunity and raising his arms skywards as if seeking divine inspiration. Either that, or a penalty. Referee Evans provided neither.

Yet in all honesty the surprise was how the score remained at one by the half time whistle as Brayford, Cywka, Bueno, and Moore all tested the Donny keeper. Derby were dominant throughout with Green joining in the attacks and Bailey adopting the role of the solitary holding midfielder.

There’s always a wonder about the half time break at the moment as the opposition tend to start brightly whereas the Rams seem to struggle to get back into gear. It was the same last night, the Vikings came out fired up so Frank Fielding was called upon, he acquitted himself well with aplomb between the sticks.

With the game being more evenly balanced, Derby struck again on the counter attack, Green found Commons and unlike Saturday when faced with just the keeper to beat this time Kris chipped, the net bellowed and we roared. Two nil and coasting, coasting, coasting.

Derby brought on Kuqi for Moore and then switched off. Dean Shields* firing home two goals in quick succession both across Fielding, the first from the right then the second from the left as the Rams were guilty of not closing down on the edge of the box.

What should have been three points was in the space of two mad minutes compromised and thoughts inevitably fell to the QPR debacle.

We need not have worried another pass of genuine quality from Bueno found Commons and the striker lashed the ball home to restore the Rams lead.

“Could we hold out”, the question on everybody’s lips. 

Clough wisely opted for safety, Savage replaced our Spaniard (if only he was “ours”) and Russell Anderson was brought in to give Commons a rest. Commons had been stretching and feeling the backs of his thighs for over ten minutes before the decision to change was made.

Five minutes of injury time was signalled and the Rams held firm thanks to Moxey and Fielding, the latter having a much more assured game than his debut on Saturday.

A win on the road and at Doncaster too, you almost believe we can get points at Millwall, and that’s a reminder haven’t booked the Train tickets yet. Lets hope it’s another good journey home after a cracking victory.

*Special mention should be made to Dean Shields.

He scored two goals, tracked back and was a constant thorn only for the man of the match to be given to number 24 Mustapha Dumbuya by the Doncaster sponsors. The Richard Cranium award surely went to Neil Sullivan who yelled “Are you F*****g Stupid” at a ballboy.

The youngsters “crime” was to use his multiball to try to keep the game flowing as Doncaster chased the game. Unfortunately Sullivan failed to recognise the ball waiting in his area and instead chased across the goal seeking a ball from the other lad on the opposite side of the net.

Sullivan right received a fair share of stick from the travelling fans for that episode, then again play for Leeds and I suppose it rubs off!!

 

Managers Reaction:

Nigel Clough speaking to the media after his teams impressive victory:

"We've played pretty well in the last few weeks but in the first 45 minutes we were as good as we've been all season," said Clough.

"The first-half performance should have been enough to avoid any problems, but Doncaster are a difficult side to play here.

"We should have been more than one goal ahead, but we showed brilliant resilience at the end.

"On another night it would have been game over at half-time."

"I was not surprised that Doncaster came back at us at all," "They just keep going at you and going at you and make it very difficult.

"They were always going to have a spell with them being at home.

"After our second goal we should have been a bit more solid and gave a couple of soft goals away."

Match Winning - Brace Scorer Reaction:

Kris Commons spoke to the BBC after the match:

"Our tails are high and we're looking a half-decent unit at the moment.

"Hopefully there will be a snowballing effect and we will keep getting better, working harder."

"We've also got our injured players coming back. Miles Addison is not far off training and hopefully sniffing around a place on the bench in a couple of weeks, and there's Stephen Pearson.

"We are going to get more competition for places and that will have a big impact on the players that are playing if they are to keep their shirts.

"That is going to benefit Derby and the squad so that we can kick on and put in better performances with better players in the side."

"We are clicking on all cylinders, Alberto Bueno has added a huge amount of quality.

"It seems people aren't bothered about getting too tight to me, they are having to watch Bueno, Green and Tomasz.

"We've got dangerous players going forward now, and, with Luke Moore and Shefki lurking, we've got goals from five different players.

"It's brilliant to play with and we're a force to be reckoned with going in one direction."

Goal Scoring Loanee Reaction:

Luke Moore on his first goal for the club:

"It was great to score; it was really pleasing to see the ball hit the net to get to open my account for the team.

"I didn't have too much time to think about it, I just made sure I got contact with the ball and the pace from the cross did the rest.

"Hopefully I've given the manager a bit of a selection headache now by scoring, because Shefki Kuqi has been magnificent too since I've been here.

"I should have had a few more, but I'm happy to score my first goal for Derby.

"I've enjoyed my loan spell so far, it has been perfect for me.

"I feel fit, sharp and it has been great to play game again.

"The facilities at Derby are fantastic and the team has been doing really well."

"It was a great performance and despite a few scares we deserved the win, I don't think anyone can question that.

"We dominated in the first half and probably should have been a few more goals ahead with the amount of chances we had.

"In the end we're just glad we got the three points and it sets us up nicely for Saturday.

"Millwall will be another tricky fixture but the way we're going at the moment we should go there with no fear."

Next Match:

Millwall vs. Derby

3pm - Saturday 23rd October

Millwall

Photo: Action Images



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