Rooney rejoices
WIN LIFTS INTERIM BOSS’S HOPES
DERBY’S first win in 12 games boosted Wayne Rooney’s chances of replacing Philip Cocu on a permanent basis.
J ason Kn i g h t ’ s 69th-minute strike delivered a first managerial win for overjoyed interim boss Rooney, with Abu Dhabi Royal Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan close to completing a takeover.
Former Manchester United and Everton star Rooney again hinted that he is ready to hang up his boots to go into management full-time.
He said: “The feeling at full-time was mainly relief.
“It was a great feeling. Something I have not experienced as a manager and to see the excitement on the players’ faces was great. It was a very good win for us.
“I think my future is in management. It is what I want to do now.”
“I have not heard anything new on the takeover.
Hopefully it happens sooner rather than later as it will benefit the whole football club.”
Lions boss Gary Rowett has spent most of the past six months rightly claiming the lack of fans at the Den took the edge off his team.
So he was keen for his side to use the energy of the crowd to make a fast start and put a Derby side s h o rt of confidence to the sword.
Those returning fans were almost rewarded with a wonder goal from Je d Wallace. The Lions’ leading scorer danced past two defenders and was only denied by a more outstanding left- handed save from David Marshall.
But other than off-target efforts from Ben Thompson and Derby’s Graeme Shinnie, neither side looked like breaking the deadlock before half-time.
Another jinking Wallace run woke up the fans in the 53rd minute but it ended with Matt Smith heading tamely into Marshall’s hands.
But the hosts rarely threatened again after that with Knight’s strike sucking the energy out of the team.
Craig Forsyth’s left-wing cross found sub Martyn Waghorn at the far post and when his header was blocked by keeper Bartosz Bialkowski it fell to Knight to ripple the back of the net and lift Derby off the bottom of the table.
Rowett said: “We created the opportunity for Jed, which if you look at the game there was one big chance for both teams and we did not take ours.” MILLWALL: Bialkowski 7; Romeo 7, Hutchinson 7, Cooper 7, M Wallace 6; Woods 6, Leonard 6 (Williams 90); J Wallace 7, Thompson 6 (Parrott 58, 6), Ferguson 6 (Burey 76); Smith 6 (Bodvarsson 76). Unused subs: Fielding, Williams, Pearce, Bodvarsson, Skalak, Alexander, Burey, Muller. DERBY: Marshall 7; Byrne 6, Clarke 7, Davis 7, Forsyth 6; Bielik 7, Shinnie 6 (Bird 64, 6), Knight 6; Holmes 6 (Waghorn 64, 6), Kazim-Richards 6 (Buchanan 86), Jozwiak 7 (Wisdom 90). Unused subs: Roos, Wisdom, Lawrence, Ibem Sibley, Buchanan, Stretton.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Krystian Bielik imperious in the midfield for the Rams. REFEREE: Darren England 7.