TYKES TOLD: GO ON A RUN OR GO DOWN
New King Louie comes out swinging as Wayne’s replacement at Pride Park
Sibley
Martin
DERBY found a new young star – as Wayne Rooney sat in the stands and watched.
Rooney missed his first game for the Rams because of a muscle injury.
But 18-year-old Louie Sibley stepped on to the vacant stage and announced himself as an outstanding talent.
On his full Championship debut, Sibley scored a cracker.
Derby fans of a nervous disposition, look away now.
They know it’s the hope that kills you, and the Rams are now five points away from the play-offs.
Blackburn would have gone into the top six themselves with a win – but could not cope with new boy Sibley.
Derby boss Phillip Cocu said: “It’s not bad if you start your career with such a goal. That was a great goal.
“If Rooney had been OK, he’d have been in the team. He has a small muscle problem and we have to find exactly what it is. But we are positive, he may be available for the next game.”
That’s Millwall away on Saturday – a genuine test of ambition and bottle.
Sibley’s 26th-minute opener was a belter. Taking a Martyn Waghorn pass, Sibley needed one touch, had a look up and blasted a drive that curled as it hit the top left corner.
He has been doing this in the Under-23s and, combined with driving, forceful runs from midfield, it has got him into the first team.
It was also a Sibley run that brought a shot from Graeme Shinnie, parried by Blackburn keeper Christian Walton, for Chris Martin to put
Derby 2-0 up four minutes before the interval.
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray said: “We came here with an ambition to get into the top six today and believed we could and would.
“It is so disappointing.”
Despite the ongoing fuss around Rooney, Martin’s efforts to keep Derby on the fringe of the promotion race have been immense. With the late penalty he put away,
Ref: John Brooks Att: 26,590
Martin has been involved in eight goals in seven games – scoring five and assisting in three. But it was Sibley, who also did well in the FA Cup tie with Manchester United, that Blackburn could not contain.
Martin completed the job with his 85th-minute penalty after Elliott Bennett brought down Max Bird, another of Derby’s lively lads.
To finish a dismal Blackburn day, substitute John Buckley was shown a straight red card for a dangerous, lunging tackle on Curtis Davies in added time. Mowbray added: “We’ve got nine games to go and play a lot of teams around us.
“We have an opportunity against Bristol City on Saturday at home, where our record is pretty strong, to jump into the top six.”
DERBY:
BLACKBURN:
MOTM
LOUIE SIBLEY (DERBY)
BARNSLEY
CARDIFF
ALEX MOWATT vowed Barnsley will keep fighting despite hitting rock bottom of the Championship.
Defeat to Cardiff, combined with results elsewhere, leaves the Tykes propping up the table and seven points from safety.
Skipper Mowatt (above) said: “We are more annoyed than down because the second-half performance wasn’t good enough.
“There’s only nine games left and we have got to fight every minute of those nine games to try to get some wins.
“We will keep believing until the last day of the season, and we know we can go on a run. We had three wins on the bounce, so we can hit good form again.”
The game sparked into life in the second half as Cardiff scored twice in two minutes through Will Vaulks and Callum Paterson to seal the points.
And Cardiff boss Neil Harris felt his side should also have had a penalty when Brad Collins sent Paterson tumbling in the box.
He said: “Neither Sean Morrison nor Callum Paterson get much protection from referees and we saw that again today.
“But we had to deliver and we did. The two quick goals gave them a mountain to climb. The final games are all that matter now – it is all to play for.”
A bad day on the pitch could get worse for Barnsley as there were reports of offensive chanting from both sets of fans.
In a statement on Saturday evening the club confirmed there would be an investigation.
The unsavoury events come just weeks after Barnsley were fined for their fans’ abuse of Stoke City’s James McClean.
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CARDIFF:
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