Two from Nuge sees Rams raid at Macron
DEADLY David Nugent netted a first-half double as Derby made sure Bolton’s winless return to the Championship continued.
Gary Rowett’s side should have scored more and had to survive a nervy final few minutes after Gary Madine pulled one back for the Trotters in stoppage-time.
The Rams boss said: “The first 45 minutes were probably the best 45 minutes of football we have had since we came back to the club.
“To score two goals in the way we did was great but we should have come in four or five-nil up.”
Bolton effectively lost the game in the first 21 minutes – the time it took Nugent to bag twice.
His first arrived on eight minutes when he expertly guided home Matej Vydra ball into the six-yard box.
And Nugent, whose career started just down the road at Bury, did not have too long to wait for his second.
Johnny Russell crossed from the dead ball line and the forward was unmarked to head in from four yards.
Derby were cutting open the Trotters at will and should have made it 3-0 soon after.
This time Nugent turned provider with a defencesplitting ball for Vydra, but the striker’s left-foot shot lacked the pace to trouble Bolton keeper Mark Howard.
Nugent has a penalty claim waved away after clashing with Mark Beevers before Rams full-back Andre Widsom fired again the post.
Trotters boss Phil Parkinson threw on Adam Le Fondre and they looked brighter without really threatening.
But with Derby in cruise control they gave themselves an unneccesary scare when Madine popped up with a late consolation.
Bolton boss Phil Parkinson said: “Two weeks ago we played Leeds and conceded a couple of soft goals and we did the same thing today.
“Against a good team like Derby it becomes a difficult afternoon. You can talk about Derby’s movement but the goals were soft from our point of view.
“Both we should have avoided and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.”