That’s a lot Moore like it for Stam strugglers

JAAP STAM’S Reading tore up the form book and Derby’s hopes of a fifth straight win when they claimed a shock 4-2 victory at Pride Park.

The under-performing Championship outfit were always in control after Liam Moore and Sone Aluko scored in the first 13 minutes and Roy Beerens made it three before Johnny Russell pulled one back.

Modou Barrow scored a fourth before Chris Martin replied in the 90th minute.

Derby suffered an early double blow when first skipper Richard Keogh went off in the eighth minute holding the top of his right leg and then Reading went ahead a minute later.

Alex Pearce had just replaced Keogh when Paul McShane flicked on a free-kick for Moore to head in at the back post.

Then John Swift played in Aluko who jinked past two challenges before firing past Scott Carson from 12 yards.

And in the 54th minute Curtis Davies played the ball inside from the left but only found Beerens who rounded Carson before side-footing into the empty net.

Reading had played a dangerous game at the back with short passes around their area and they paid the price in the 71st minute when Vito Mannone gave the ball to Bradley Johnson and he set up Russell to score from eight yards.

But the three-goal cushion was restored four minutes later when Barrow made no mistake when David Edwards’ cross found him unmarked.

Sub Martin converted Andre Wisdom’s cross but it was too little, too late for Derby.

Derby boss Gary Rowett said: “After 10 minutes, I was looking to see where the pumpkins were, I thought I had missed something and it was Halloween.

“It was a very poor start and you could see after a couple of minutes we were really slow to react to things and very low in energy.”

Stam said: “Derby was a team in form and we studied them in how they get their goals, how they defend and where can we hurt them.

“The boys did very well and we should have scored at least a fifth goal.”