Burton Mail

A missed chance as Rams slip to defeat by Royals

- By STEVE NICHOLSON stephen.nicholson@reachplc.com Sponsored by:

THE gap between Derby County and the Championsh­ip’s bottom three remained at eight points following their 3-1 defeat to Reading.

Rotherham United slipped up at home to Wycombe Wanderers and sit third bottom on 35 points.

Derby have 43 and six games left. Rotherham have four games in hand, while Birmingham City (41 points) and Coventry City (42 points) fill the two places below Derby and each has a game in hand on the Rams.

Here are four talking points from Derby’s defeat.

■MISSED OPPORTUNIT­Y

Reading sit in the top six and have their sights on the play-offs and possible promotion. Derby County are in the bottom six and scrapping for survival points.

A home win might not have surprised many and yet there was fustration in the Derby camp that they let this Championsh­ip clash get away from them.

I am not sure who was Reading’s man of the match but few would argue if it went to their goalkeeper, Rafael Cabral.

His double save in the first half from Tom Lawrence and then Colin Kazim-richards after Kazim-richards’ header had smacked against a post denied the Rams a deserved lead. The keeper then produced a wonderful save to tip over Max Bird’s rising drive in the second half.

Derby had other good moments, notably when Jason Knight burst clear but held on to the ball rather than roll a pass to the unmarked Kazim-richards. The game was still goalless at the time.

Better decision-making in the final third, better finishing, and things might have been different but this is not a time for ‘ifs’ and ‘buts.’ This is a time for points.

■GAME-MANAGEMENT FALLS SHORT

There was naivity in Derby’s game-management against Reading.

The Rams had fashioned the better chances and had gone closest to a goal as we entered the second minute of added time at the end of the first half.

Just see out a last Reading attack and it was clear which would be the happier dressing room at the break, but Derby failed to see it out.

Michael Olise was offered too much time on the edge of the Derby area and he rifled the ball high and wide of David Marshall to put Reading one up.

Derby conceded a second goal just before the hour when George Puscas scored before Tom Lawrence’s stunning strike got the Rams back in the contest after 79 minutes.

The goal came in a good spell for Derby. Could they ask more questions of the home side in the closing minutes? Could they make Reading sweat?

They never really had the chance to do so because they conceded a sloppy goal five minutes later and at 3-1 down, there was no way back.

■SLOPPY DEFENDING

Derby have won 11 of their 40 League fixtures and only one of their last nine. They are finding it tough enough to carve out victories without giving opponents a helping hand.

Wayne Rooney described the goals conceded against Reading as “sloppy”. He was right.

The first was an excellent strike, but Derby allowed Ovie Ejaria to make inroads on the right, while Jason Knight and Tom Lawrence could have done more to close down Michael Olise on the edge of the area as the Reading player lined up his shot.

On the second goal, Yakou Meite found it too easy to step inside and drill in a shot that David Marshall pushed out rather and away, and

George Puscas reacted quickest to score.

On Reading’s third goal, Colin Kazim-richards did not deal with a free kick towards the edge of Derby’s area and defenders did not react to the knock down, leaving Lucas Joao to steer the ball home.

There was fustration in the Derby camp that they let this Championsh­ip clash get away from them.

■INJURIES BITING DEEP

Derby County are limping towards the finish line of what has been an instantly forgettabl­e season and they are doing so in more ways than one. Results-wise, they have won one of their last nine games and have collected only six points from 27.

bottom two, Wycombe Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday, can boast better recent form over nine matches. Rotherham United can match Derby’s six points over the same period.

Birmingham City and Coventry City have better returns from their last nine fixtures.

Now injuries are biting deep into Derby’s squad which was thin, but has become wafer-thin over the past week or so.

They have Lee Gregory, Martyn Waghorn, Matt Clarke and George Edmundson in the treatment room and they have been joined by Nathan Byrne and Jack Stretton following the Reading game.

Derby can ill-afford to lose senior players because this is a time for know-how.

Eleven of the 20 on duty on Monday are 22 or under.

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 ??  ?? Jason Knight attempts to control the ball under pressure from Michael Olise of Reading.
Jason Knight attempts to control the ball under pressure from Michael Olise of Reading.

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