Scott has got it all

RICHARD LATHAM

NIGEL PEARSON was full of praise for teenage match-winner Alex Scott after his superb strike sank punchless Derby.

The 18-year-old connected sweetly with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box on 16 minutes and it proved enough to settle an open game of few clear chances.

Scott (above) is progressing with every game and City boss Pearson said: “Alex is a very versatile player and I don’t think anybody thought at the start of the season that he would be operating at wing-back.

“The fact that he is shows his football intelligence. When you play in that position and the ball is crossed from the other side you need to be in goalscoring positions.

“Alex found one for his goal and it was a very calm and assured finish.”

City might have been out of sight by the interval as Chris Martin, Andreas Weimann and Antoine Semenyo spurned good first-half opportunities. The home side were nearly made to pay when substitute Ravel Morrison fired inches wide in stoppage time.

But it was a rare threat to Dan Bentley’s goal and Rams boss Wayne Rooney said: “I told the lads at halftime that I didn’t recognise us because we didn’t have the required intensity.

“We were sloppy in possession and not quick enough to react to the second ball.

“Our warm-up wasn’t good enough and the slow start we made to the game showed how important it is to get that right.”

BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 6; Vyner 6, Kalas 8, Atkinson 7; Scott 7, Bakinson 5 (James 67, 7), Massengo 6, O’Dowda 6 (Pring 71, 7); Weimann 6; Martin 6, Semenyo 6 (Wells 73, 6). Subs not used: O’Leary, Simpson, Dasilva, Benarous.

DERBY: Allsop 6; Byrne 7, Jagielka 7, Davies 7, Forsyth 6 (Morrison 71, 6); Thompson 5 (Plange 46, 6), Bird 6, Shinnie 6; Ebosele 8, Lawrence 6 Knight 5 (Kazim-Richards 46, 6). Subs not used: Roos, Jozwiak, Stearman, Williams.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Festy Ebosele: The Derby winger’s pace made him a constant threat.

REFEREE: Graham Scott 8.