DERBY UNDONE BY MORE MADNESS

IF DERBY weren’t facing the prospect of a further nine-point deduction, they might have half a chance of pulling off a miracle escape from relegation. The events of a hellish week that saw them enter administration and plunge to the foot of the Championship table served to galvanise Wayne Rooney’s team.

They were more than a match for a Sheffield United side expected to be among the promotion contenders, and only lost through two costly moments of madness.

Goalkeeper Kelle Roos was sent off on 57 minutes for bringing down Billy Sharp. Then, just when it looked as if they would scrap their way to a point, Curtis Davies inexplicably handballed.

Sharp blasted home the penalty to leave Derby’s points tally in negative territory and it could be like that for a while if they are punished further for breaching EFL financial fair play rules.

Amid the swirling uncertainty off the pitch at Pride Park, Rooney has a free swing in many ways at the rest of the season on it.

Everybody is expecting his relatively thin squad to be in League One next season and no doubt administrators Quantuma are marketing the club as such to the seven or eight parties reportedly interested in buying them.

But all that won’t stop Derby pursuing points and they have two winnable home games against Reading — themselves facing a points deduction — and Swansea this week.

‘I feel that the whole club and city is coming together in a bad situation,’ said Derby defender Graeme Shinnie.

‘As players, we can only fight for this club on the pitch and everything else that happens is out of our hands. If the fans are fighting, we are fighting with them. This club will keep going.’

Rooney echoed the call from Derby’s administrators to pack the stadium and raise much-needed revenue.

‘What the fans are seeing is a real togetherness from this group,’ he said. ‘I can’t promise three points but one thing I can promise is the players will be ready to handle everything.’