RAMS survive by skin of their teeth but BREWERS schooled at Oxford
WAGHORN STAYS COOL WITH PENALTY AND THAT PROVES ENOUGH TO KEEP ROO’S MEN UP AFTER MILLERS DRAW
THANK goodness that’s over.
What has been a painful struggle for Derby County almost from first game to last, apart from a mini run of wins in January and February, has ended with the team stumbling over the finish line in a most unflattering manner.
They have managed to evade the snapping jaws of League One and relegation.
Derby knew a victory over Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the season would secure their Championship status, while a draw would be enough should Rotherham United fail to win away against Cardiff City.
And that is what happened, although Derby skated on very, very thin ice.
The Rams drew 3-3 and the Millers conceded a late equaliser to draw 1-1.
Here are key talking points from the game ...
■■RAMS FORTUNATE TO DODGE A BULLET
Derby County’s slump since Colin Kazim-richards fired home a glorious equaliser against rivals Nottingham Forest at the end of February has been spectacular in a most alarming way.
A run of only one win in 15 games and a paltry seven points from 45 has left everybody shaking their heads. Sheffield Wednesday collected 13 over the same period, Rotherham United 13 also and Wycombe Wanderers 20, and those three teams were relegated!
Such an utterly wretched sequence of results as Derby’s should have ‘relegation’ stamped all over it but they somehow survived the drop.
They did so by the skin of their teeth and dodged a bullet.
Did they deserve to? Probably not, but they did.
However, what was served up by the club this season has quite simply not been good enough.
And there can be no repeat.
■■FINALLY SOME GOALS
A team that struggled to score goals all season scored three in 30 second-half minutes to save themselves from relegation.
Trailing 1-0 at the break to Sam Hutchinson’s close-range finish, the Rams produced a quick-fire double from Martyn Waghorn and Patrick Roberts to go ahead.
The quality of the two goals was excellent. Tom Lawrence’s inviting centre was headed home in textbook fashion by Waghorn, down and past the keeper. The striker then set up Roberts to curl a beautiful finish beyond Keiren Westwood. What a time to score your first goal for the club, and what a goal.
Back came Wednesday to twice punish poor defending (a feature of the past two months) and take a 3-2 lead before Rams substitute Kamil Jozwiak, who made a difference when he came on, raced into the area and was bundled over.
A penalty, and huge pressure on the penalty, but Waghorn kept calm and dispatched his spot kick in an emphatic manner to make the final score 3-3.
Derby have scored 36 goals in their 46 League fixtures – the lowest total in the division – and yet they managed to hit the net three times in a game for only the second time this season.
Derby failed to score in 21 of their League matches and scored only one in 17 games. It is easy to see where they need to improve next season.
■■EMOTIONAL HERO TIMES IT PERFECTLY
Martyn Waghorn admits he has not had the best of seasons. He has not been alone, that has been the case with many of Derby County’s players.
Waghorn missed seven games at the start of the campaign as he recovered from injury. He returned with two wonderful free kicks against Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City in his first two starts in October but then struggled for goals, scoring only one in his next 28 games before Saturday.
But he could not have timed his return to goalscoring form any better.
His double, a header to make it 1-1 and a penalty to make it 3-3, helped Derby secure a point against Sheffield Wednesday which coupled with Rotherham United’s draw at Cardiff was enough to keep the Rams in the Championship.
It proved an invaluable contribution and came after he picked himself up after clattering painfully into a post in the first half.
There were tears from him on the final whistle as he reflected on an up and down season.
Wayne Rooney was also delighted for Waghorn.
Rooney axed the player from his match-day squad before a game
away against Stoke City in March. “When I was a player here, I was close to Waggy, we’d play on the Playstation together. When I became manager, I had to distance myself from that,” Rooney said after Saturday’s game.
“I had the moment with him when I dropped him out of the squad. You have to make those decisions as a manager. I sat him down, we showed him video clips of himself in previous years, showed him clips of other players, we worked on his movement in the box.
“His first goal (the header), I can’t say how happy I am for the coaches as well and for him putting himself in the middle of the goal in a position where he can score goals.
“That all comes from his hard work in the last few weeks. Since I left him out of the squad and sat him down and spoke to him, there has been a massive change in him.”
■■FINAL-DAY TEST OF CHARACTER
Derby went into the Sheffield Wednesday game on the back of one win in 14 matches and with question marks hanging over the mindset of the players and over their character.
They had taken the lead in three of the previous four games but squandered those leads and lost.
They had been presented with many opportunties to make themselves safe and so avoiding any lastday drama, but failed to take those opportunities.
Could they handle a nerve-wracking relegation shoot-out?
There was genuine concern but the players answered those questions. They fought back from 1-0 and 3-2 down to take a point that made the difference between staying in the Championship or dropping into League One.
We had not seen enough of that resilience for the majority of the season. Better late than never.
■■AND NOW FOR SOME CLARITY
The shredded nerves are still recovering, still settling following a dramatic final day.
Saturday was all about avoiding relegation and staying in the Championship.
Derby just about managed to do so but now the attention and the spotlight will turn on how the club plans to move forward in what will be a crucial summer. How they plan to make sure supporters are not put through the wringer in such a way again?
The uncertainty off the pitch – the ongoing takeover saga, the EFL appeal, constant reports, rumours and speculation over the club’s financial position – have been unhelpful and have very much been a factor in the club’s worst season for many years.
Manager Wayne Rooney made his thoughts clear.
“This season, on the pitch and off the pitch, has been crazy,” he said. “We need to sort it out quickly, what is going on. We need to move forward. I have got plans in place, I need to move quickly on those plans. We can’t afford to have a season like we have just had.”
Concerned fans fully agree and their demands for the club to provide greater clarity regarding off-thepitch issues is understandable. It is time for greater clarity. has