Winnall is denied a winner by ref Stroud
STEVE BRUCE questioned referee Keith Stroud for the decision that cost his Wednesday side victory.
The Owls had fought back from going behind in the 10th minute to equalise.
And Bruce thought Wednesday had won it with a fairytale comeback goal from Sam Winnall 11 minutes from time.
But Stroud said he had kicked the ball out of Derby keeper Scott Carson’s hands and disallowed the goal.
“I asked the TV about it but they’ve only got one camera,” said Bruce. “The referee took an eternity to give it so there was a doubt there for sure.
“Whether he’s got the right decision I don’t know.
“I thought it was going our way and certainly the players did because they were away celebrating with Winnall.”
Rams boss Frank Lampard said: “Scott said he had two hands on the ball and felt it was the right decision.
“The way we pushed at the end, and the chances we had, it felt like we were the ones trying to win the game.”
It was Winnall’s first game since damaging cruciate knee ligaments while on loan at Derby 17 months ago.
He also broke his nose in an Under-23s game and played in a mask yesterday when he came off the bench for George Boyd.
“It would have been great for Winnall, who has been out a long time,” added Bruce, who is now unbeaten in 11 league games since taking over at Wednesday.
Derby are under pressure as they fight to avoid yet another promotion fade-out and could not hold on to the lead Bradley Johnson gave them with his early header.
He was unmarked as Wednesday’s Adam Reach tried to head out Duane Holmes’ corner and Johnson headed straight back in with power and precision into the top corner.
Dominic Iorfa put the visitors level in the
57th minute from a free-kick.
But it needed keeper Keiren Westood’s save from Jayden Bogle to keep Bruce’s unbeaten run going.
The point takes Derby back into the top six with two successive home games to come.
Certainly, they seemed anything but a broken outfit – as ex-Bluebirds Nathan Blake and Danny Gabbidon claimed earlier in the week – while breathing fresh life into their survival chances.
Goals from Junior Hoilett and Victor Camarasa early in each half ensured an ultimately comfortable stroll past an utterly inept West Ham.
Although the three points failed to alter the immediate picture at the bottom for his strugglers, who remain two adrift of safety, Cardiff manager Neil Warnock was still chuffed.
Firstly, because his players had rammed the allegations of Blake and Gabbidon back down their critics’ throats. And, secondly, this result was a defiant statement of intent to those clubs hovering above the drop zone that his side are not going to drop back into the Championship.
Warnock said: “That’s the only way you can answer your critics really.
“The lads mentioned the split in the camp. You don’t get a performance like that with a split camp. I thought we were fabulous today.
“I thought it was a very important game because this win brings a few more clubs back into the pack – and makes a few more nervous.”
Manuel Pellegrini’s mood