Smiles better for Rooney as Knight lances Lions at Den
RAMS END WINLESS RUN AND CLIMB OFF BOTTOM OF TABLE
“IT will be nice to go in on Monday morning and see a few more smiles on faces,” said Wayne Rooney after Derby County ended their long wait for a win by beating Millwall 1-0 at The Den.
There was a smile on Rooney’s face and he had reason to smile.
His team selection – he made four changes – and his game-plan worked a treat as the Rams recorded a first victory in 12 matches to climb off the bottom of the Championship, where they had been for a month.
They only climbed one place to 23rd and they remain in the bottom three, and in trouble, but recovery has to start somewhere. Green shoots have to sprout in order to grow.
Derby are unbeaten in three. Tiny steps, yes, and the next task is to build on the victory over Millwall when they return to London on Wednesday to face Brentford. That promises to be a tougher test as Brentford are unbeaten in nine, although they were held by 10-man Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
The Bees have the Championship’s joint top scorer in Ivan Toney but the Rams can take confidence from their strong team performance against Millwall and a rare clean sheet, their first in two months since the win away against Norwich City and only their second in the League this season.
The importance of a clean sheet should never be underestimated, especially when scoring goals remains a struggle.
One, from Jason Knight in the 69th minute, was enough on Saturday but Derby have still failed to find the net more than once in any of their 18 fixtures. A record such as that places huge emphasis on being able to shut out the opposition.
Derby did at Millwall thanks to a brilliant save from David Marshall early on and strong displays from a number of individuals.
Jed Wallace pounced on hesitancy by Matt Clarke and looked set to put the home side one up, only for Marshall to stick out his right hand and divert the ball over.
It was a key moment because conceding first might have dented Derby’s belief.
Instead, it was the Rams who took the lead for a third consecutive game.
They were pegged back in the previous two and dropped points, frustratingly, but there was to be no repeat this time.
“All those thoughts would have been going through the heads of the players but the game management towards the end was very good. Although there were a few balls coming into the box, we didn’t really look like conceding. That was really pleasing,” said Rooney.
Derby saw out the game against a Millwall side now without a win in eight and short of goals themselves. The first goal in the contest was always likely to be telling.
Derby’s back four played a key role in the clean sheet, notably captain Curtis Davies, who came out on top in a bruising battle with Millwall centre forward Matt Smith. Davies
thrives on such a contest, making challenges and putting his head in where others might think twice.
Davies was helped out by Clarke, who recovered from a shaky start, and Craig Forsyth had a strong game at left-back.
Forsyth also had a big hand in the winning goal.
His deliciously inviting centre was met by substitute Martyn Waghorn. His header was pushed out and Knight smashed in the loose ball from six yards.
Knight and Graeme Shinnie were diligent and tenacious in their work in midfield, eager to pick up second balls, while Krystian Bielik impressed as the controller.
The Polish international was composed and comfortable on the ball
and displayed a good passing range. He is getting stronger and more confident with each game following his 10-month lay-off due to a serious knee injury.
Three points cut the gap between Derby and the team immediately above the bottom three, Nottingham Forest, to two points. It had been six points not so long ago.
This is a time to gather up as many positives as possible as the Rams strive to find their feet.
The headlines were not dominated by Derby’s win nor by the return of supporters.
Instead, it was the reaction of a section of Millwall fans, who booed the players as they took a knee before kick-off to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing fight against racial discrimination.
Rooney described the reaction as “disappointing and upsetting”.
“I heard it, I was very surprised. It is a sad thing to happen,” Rooney added. “All I can say is everyone at Derby County has fully backed taking the knee and will continue to do so. ”
His smile disappeared as he fielded questions about what happened and his response was strong and to the point, matching the performance of his team.