Lampard gets lift as fortune favours Derby
THIS was not quite the fluid football Frank Lampard wishes to produce at Derby, but under the Pride Park floodlights for the first time his side’s energy brought a valuable win. There was more than an element of good fortune about the way Ipswich were defeated, with both goals taking telling deflections, but for a manager making his way in a devilishly difficult division, that does not matter at this stage. The breakthrough came just before the hour when Joe Ledley struck a sweet shot from outside the box that flew into the top corner via a flick off an Ipswich shirt. Tom Lawrence made sure with another of his flat free-kicks that swerved even more after diverting off the wall, leaving Bartosz Bialkowski embarrassed. The Ipswich goalkeeper got a strong hand to the ball but it still dribbled into the net. ‘We have to stay grounded,’ said Lampard. ‘This is a long game for us. We are trying to change the style, bring young players in, but results are important. The focus of the team is great. We had the personality to keep playing, to find the gaps.’ Young defenders Jayden Bogle and Fikayo Tomori, on loan from Chelsea, impressed in playing out from the back but it was not until the 59th minute that Derby registered a shot on target. Ipswich failed to properly clear Mason Mount’s corner, Ledley took a touch, then hit a left-footed drive which deflected past Bialkowski. Nine minutes later, Lawrence was fouled on the edge of the area. He picked himself up and scored with the free-kick. Paul Hurst is still searching for his first Championship win as Ipswich manager. ‘I’m frustrated with the goals,’ said Hurst. ‘We had little spells but we didn’t have quite the energy to get pressure on the ball.’