Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SO SOLID ROO
Derby relying on cool guy Wayne to keep his head and guide them to Premier League play-off place
AS this East Midlands derby boiled over in added time, Wayne Rooney remained a beacon of calm.
Rams team-mate Martyn Waghorn had launched into Forest’s Ryan Yates with an X-rated challenge, and the inevitable pushing and shoving followed.
And in years gone by the former Manchester United and England star would have been in the midst of it.
But at the age of 34, and with the extra responsibility of trying to cajole Derby back into the Premier League, Rooney instead sought a quiet word with referee Darren England.
Satisfied with the official’s assessment of the flashpoint which resulted in Waghorn’s red card, Rooney nodded and went about his business of trying to salvage something from what appeared to be a hopeless cause.
Awarded a free-kick in the dying seconds, he composed himself and delivered with customary expertise for Chris Martin to bundle in an unlikely equaliser (above).
Job done – and a remarkable record since joining the club at the beginning of January continued. In the 15 Championship games Rooney has been involved in, Phillip Cocu’s side have lost only three times.
It is testimony to his fitness as the seasons clock up that he was still out there.
“I prefer to have him on the pitch for 90 minutes,” said Cocu. “His fitness is improving and when he is able to play for 90 minutes with the energy he has he is important to the team.
“He keeps the team together and has shown once again how vital he is at set plays.”
It won’t though go down as one of Rooney’s inspirational performances – and you could say the same of 31-year-old striker Martin, who had been anonymous until his decisive role in Rooney’s free-kick cameo.
It was the first time Martin had scored against the old enemy.
He said: “I think the goal came off my shoulder, but who cares? It was about being patient and still having belief in ourselves.
“It’s great to have finally scored in this fixture. Even though there wasn’t a crowd there was something extra about this game.
“We have adapted well without fans. This point can be so important. It keeps the momentum going.”
For Forest it’s now six games without defeat against their bitter rivals – but that was no consolation after creating the best chances, two of them squandered by Lewis Grabban, while Tiago Silva hit the post.
No wonder manager Sabri Lamouchi cited a sore throat for not speaking to the media. It was left to his assistant Bruno Baltazar to lament the loss of two points.
“It’s unacceptable at this late stage of a game against a side with 10 men,” he said. “But we will focus on Tuesday night.”
That’s against fellow playoff hopefuls Fulham, while Derby travel to West Brom on Wednesday. The Championship never stops – just like Wayne Rooney.