CARSON SHOWS MORE BOTTLE THAN RAMS

NOBODY can accuse Scott Carson of failing to front up, not when he is being accosted by angry fans and not when he is having to answer questions about derby’s continuing mental fragility. In February, County were in second place. Two wins in 13 games later, they have slipped to seventh yet are amazingly still in contention with a match in hand — against Cardiff tomorrow. ‘We don’t want to be remembered for not quite making it and people saying we’ve bottled it,’ admitted goalkeeper Carson. ‘We lose a game and that’s the first thing that comes out. ‘The squad has changed every single year and it is something that no one can put a finger on.’ Carson found himself a reluctant star on social media last week after he was filmed being abused by angry supporters following a charity night out after derby’s recent defeat at relegationthreatened Burton. ‘I’ve not experienced that much in my career. Some people who do that think it is going to get them talked about and with phones and social media now, it is difficult to get away from. ‘you can be out with your missus and get things like that but I’m thankful it didn’t go any further. ‘But the support I’ve had since that has been overwhelming and I’ll be ever thankful to the proper derby fans who supported me through it.’ The proper derby fans are being put through the mill by their team but are still certain to give Cardiff boss Neil Warnock a hot welcome after he criticised the initial postponement of the game. On the pitch, players might be advised to take a leaf out of Middlesbrough’s book. Ten years after taking Stoke into the Premier League, Tony Pulis is gearing up for a repeat. Thanks to the outrageous skill of Adama Traore, who set up goals for Muhamed Besic and Britt Assombalonga, he has someone who can be a big-game performer. In contrast derby’s 20-goal striker Matej Vydra disappeared without trace in a physical contest. Rowett is still scratching his head at derby’s dramatic collapse, a slide which has continued despite changes in formation, tactics and personnel. ‘I didn’t think we would fall away like previous seasons when we were second in the table. I thought we had a more resilient edge,’ he said. ‘We go a goal down and it deflates the players a little bit but we’ve got to step up and perform.’