BEES STUNG LATE BY DERBY TREBLE
Wassall gets first league victory
AS MUCH as Darren Wassall is enjoying his promotion from Derby’s academy, the new head coach knows he will be judged just as harshly as his jettisoned predecessor Paul Clement.
On paper Wassall could not have been handed a better opportunity; his opposite number Dean Smith suggested his squad is Premier League-worthy, and, despite no league wins since Boxing Day, Wassall rightly insisted that his side were never out of the promotion race.
Nevertheless the three goals in the final ten minutes that overcame Brentford may prove vital both to Derby’s season and Wassall’s long-term prospects in management.
He said: “I’m enjoying the job, but I know that results are what you’re judged on. It’s all very well putting on good performances, but if you don’t get results, eventually your time runs out.
“Promotion, play-offs will look after themselves if we keep getting results. One swallow doesn’t make a summer. This means nothing if we don’t get another good result on Wednesday.
“We hadn’t won for eight league games, and there was no point talking about promotion if we didn’t start winning some games. We were never out of the promotion race, but this has put us right back in it.”
Despite Derby’s summer boondoggle, their best performers remain those with multiple seasons in the East Midlands, such as Jeff Hendrick and Johnny Russell.
Chris Martin, who scored Derby’s third, has eight more league goals this season than Darren Bent, who touched the ball six times in an hour, including kicking off twice.
Hendrick, their best performer throughout, sparked the comeback, following in Nick Blackman’s ricocheted shot and slotting home. Three minutes later, David Button spilled Bradley Johnson’s low cross and Cyrus Christie pounced inside the six-yard box like a right-back turned Ruud van Nistelrooy.
It was what Derby’s overall performance deserved and they sealed victory in injury-time. Scott Carson, little troubled all match, brilliantly saved Jake Bidwell’s low header from a corner, Tom Ince burst forward and fed Martin, who powered home.
Earlier Brentford had Button to thank for their half-time parity. Inside three minutes he denied Hendrick with a double save after the midfielder burst through Brentford’s defence unchallenged.
When Hendrick crossed for Bent, Button again reacted quickly to parry the striker’s first-time shot and quick reactions also prevented Bidwell from steering Marcus Olsson’s unremarkable cross into his own net. Russell too was denied by Button after a sinuous run.
Brentford’s one piece of outfield quality came just after half-time. Alan Judge, the Championship's top-scoring midfielder, dispossessed Jamie Hanson, charged into Derby’s left channel and slashed an unstoppable shot across Carson.
Derby, hitherto dominant, became ragged after the goal, as substitutes hindered both sides’ flow. However, it turned out that the Rams were just timing their comeback perfectly.
Smith said: “Button kept us in it for the first 20 minutes. They started like a house on fire, but with the players they've got you expect that.
“I thought we were competitive after the first 20 minutes. We scored a good goal and played in their half.
“1-0 up with 10 minutes to go – the game is fine margins.”