Rooney’s Rams battle for point and another clean sheet
SWANS KEPT AT BAY AS HOME SIDE SHOW HOW MISERLY THEY ARE IN DEFENCE
THERE was a touch of disappointment as Derby County missed the chance to record a third consecutive home victory – but only a touch because there is an understanding of the task facing Wayne Rooney’s team and an appreciation of how the players are going about their business.
The vast majority of the second biggest home attendance of the season, 21,640, was right behind the team as they battled out a goalless draw with Swansea City in the Championship at a rain-sodden Pride Park Stadium.
This mountain the players have been asked to climb through no fault of their own was always going to need footholds from which steady progress can be made.
For example, the Rams have lost only one of their last five games and have recorded three clean sheets and conceded only two goals in those matches.
The one defeat was a cruel one at the hands of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane, when the only goal of the contest came from Billy Sharp’s 89th-minute penalty.
Four points gathered from the last six has helped to lift the team from the minus-two total where the 12-point deduction dumped them to a plus-two tally.
They remain bottom of the Championship and, of course, a further points penalty would paint a different picture but for now there are glimpses of light ahead and the gap between Derby and the right side of the bottom three is seven points.
And they are unbeaten at home this season. Only five teams in the division – Coventry City, Stoke City, Bournemouth, West Bromwich Albion and QPR – have collected more points on home turf.
Rams manager Rooney said: “It (the club) is going through a really tough moment and what the players are doing is making the fans believe, they are bringing some pride back to the club. The lads are representing this club with a lot of passion and pride and they are doing a very good job.”
Few would argue.
Derby’s players had to do a lot of work without the ball against Swansea’s 76% possession but they dug in during the first half and, after a switch to a back five, they created the better chances in the second half by frustrating and breaking on the visitors.
There was a patch of pressure that saw skipper Tom Lawrence denied three times by former Rams goalkeeper Ben Hamer in a matter of seconds before a passage of slick play opened up Swansea but the tireless Jason Knight wanted a fraction too long to get his shot off and was challenged. Derby wanted a penalty but referee Andy Madley waved away the appeals.
Derby hit the target with five of their six attempts while, for all of their possession and neat football, only two of Swansea’s 15 efforts found the target.
This left Swans boss Russell Martin frustrated: “We were so dominant and we deserved to win. We had 10 shots inside their box and that needs to come to more.”
Scoring goals remains a concern for Derby. Their seven is the fewest in the division and they have failed to find the net in four of their last six outings. But they have become miserly in defence.
Rams keeper Ryan Allsop finished the contest with a second successive clean sheet, having come into the side when Kelle Roos served a onematch suspension for his red card at Sheffield. Roos was available again on Saturday but was on the bench as Allsop kept his place.
“It couldn’t have gone any better really in terms of keeping back-toback clean sheets this week,” said Allsop, who had looked shaky in his two starts in the Carabao Cup earlier this season but has been faultless in the last two matches.
“They (Swansea) had the ball around our box a lot but I don’t think they ever really threatened us, to be honest. We defended brilliantly from front to back and the spirit is really showing on the pitch.
“Our defensive record is massive. The gaffer and the staff want us to be solid and resolute and work from a solid base, which I think is showing, and we’re getting the rewards in terms of clean sheets. With a few tweaks, I think we can turn those draws into wins.”
For the record, Derby share the best defensive record in the Championship with leaders Bournemouth and they have the best goal difference of the bottom seven teams.