MAC’S MIDAS TOUCH
Steve still has old magic for Derby as Ince stuns Albion
WHATEVER has gone right or wrong in Steve McClaren’s coaching career, it seems Derby is the one club where everything comes up smelling of roses.
He’s been there as player, coach, and now manager twice and since going back in October for his second spell in charge, the magic dust has been sparkling. He had already put a struggling side back into the race for the Championship play-offs. Now he’s handed the club’s jubilant fans their first Cup win over a side from a higher division in 30 years.
Some 5,400 were bouncing around the Smethwick Road end as two goals in three minutes from Darren Bent and Tom Ince stunned in-form Albion, who had led through a first-half Matt Phillips strike.
‘It was an heroic performance,’ said McClaren, who had seven players missing through injury and two through bans.
‘By the end everybody was going down with cramp — even me running up and down the stairs from the directors’ box to give instructions! To come here and win you have to fight and to show character and you have to stand up, and the team did that.
‘We scored great goals, but the way the team fought to hold on, especially in the last 20 minutes, was heroic.
‘I have never seen so many balls going into our box but we talk about defending with our lives and the players did that.’
McClaren’s heroes included midfielder Julian de Sart, playing two days after arriving on loan from Middlesbrough, and defender Jason Shackell, who had not started a game for four months.
But if anything typified the way McClaren has made a difference it was the display of Ince — and not only for the curling freekick that brought the winner. Now 24, the son of one-time England captain Paul has found consistency to go with his talent and has eight goals in 15 games since McClaren took over. ‘I don’t know why he’s improved so much,’ said McClaren. ‘I don’t tell him anything we don’t tell the other players.
‘We just allow him to go and play and he does the work as well, up and down. He should be a Premier League player. He’s had opportunities, but you’ve seen the fight today that he wants to get back there.’
Just as impressive was the performance of ex-England striker Bent. Normally renowned for tap-ins, he scored the equaliser with a stunning 25-yard shot.
It was tough on Albion boss Tony Pulis, who picked the strongest team he could. The only senior player he rested was goalkeeper Ben Foster and that was the change that came back to bite him.
Boaz Myhill moved slowly for Bent’s strike and not at all for Ince’s winner.
‘I’ve not seen them from behind the goal, so I don’t really know — I’m more worried about the build-up,’ said Pulis. ‘Boaz has done fantastically for us whenever he has played. I can’t criticise the team because we showed fantastic attitude — 30 shots and 60 crosses, so you can’t ask for a lot more.’
The only chance Albion converted came when Phillips finished calmly on 35 minutes, picking up a loose ball after James McClean had charged down Richard Keogh’s attempted clearance.
Pulis is trying to persuade his board to up their bid for Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, and if anything should convince them to trust him with their cash it is the performance of Phillips.
He cost just £5.5m from QPR and has five goals and seven assists in his last 11 games.
There should have been more yesterday but James Morrison missed a great chance from one pass and Gareth McAuley headed over following one of his corners.
Albion put Derby under siege in the last few minutes, but the nearest they got to a replay was when Scott Carson tipped over a Salomon Rondon header.