Distant messages sum up the feeling

SHORTLY after the final whistle blew on Derby County’s victory over Reading, a post appeared on Twitter from a former Rams captain more than 5,000 miles away.

Warren Barton, who is based in Del Mar, California, wrote: “Get in @dcfcofficial @WayneRooney congrats”.

Other tweets soon followed from Rams boss Wayne Rooney’s former Manchester United and England team-mate Rio Ferdinand and singer/songwriter and One Direction star Niall Horan.

Nothing unusual in tweets flying around on social media after matches, of course. It is the modern way in the modern game, but the tweets very much mirrored the feeling after Derby’s 1-0 win on Wednesday night.

The Rams have got themselves into a mess off the field and going into administration, coupled with the club’s long-running dispute with the EFL, has hit the team hard on the field too.

But the players, under Rooney and his staff, have responded in a determined manner. They might be down at the bottom of the Championship but they are not out, not by a long way.

The three points gained against Reading lifted Derby out of the red on minus two points and them into the black on plus one, a psychological boost for both players and fans.

Derby have gathered seven points from a tough sequence of four matches against leaders West Bromwich Albion away, Stoke City at home, Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and now Reading.

Two of those opponents are in the top six of the early table. Reading went into the game as one of the division’s form teams and defeat by the Blades was cruel on the Rams.

Small steps forward, but small steps can lead to strides and that is the hope.

The players are giving their all for the cause. The fans recognise this, as do many people looking in from the outside, and that bond, that togetherness will remain crucial in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Yes, you can question the quality of play at times, the fact the team is still short of goals and a record of only three wins in 10 League outings, but the commitment and desire to face the challenge head on cannot be faulted.

Derby are battling against the odds, swimming against the tide, all those cliches, and it is a credit to them.

Having said that, some of the football played against Reading, in the first half especially, was bright and easy on the eye. They created chances and thoroughly deserved their lead at the break – and the scorer of the winning goal typifies the spirit running through the team.

Craig Forsyth has been a Derby player for eight years. He signed from Watford in the summer of 2013 following a loan spell and cost £150,000, one of many pieces of shrewd business by then manager Nigel Clough.

His total number of appearances of 235 would have been much greater had it not been for three serious knee injuries. The fact he has battled to overcome those setbacks shows his determination and his allround performance at left-back on Wednesday was worthy of the praise it received.

There were a number of really good performances - Tom Lawrence, Ryan Allsop, Graeme Shinnie and Nathan Byrne, to name a few but the victory was about the team, not individuals.

The mountain facing the team could become steeper, perhaps too steep, if the possibility of a further points deduction materialises.

The administrators says they have “very good” dialogue with the EFL. “We fully expect to have a debate, if I can call it that, with the EFL about the points issue.

“We are going to do our level best to negotiate, debate and try and mitigate any further points deductions. There are no guarantees but we feel that we can at least have a sensible debate and negotiation,” said Carl Jackson, one of the joint administrators.

We wait to see how that situation develops, but for now the focus turns to tomorrow and the visit of Swansea City. The combination of players and fans will be hoping to push on and deliver another positive result.

The players are giving their all for the cause. The fans recognise this, as do many people looking in from the outside.