Wilson nods Derby ahead in promotion race

DERBY COUNTY stole a march in League One’s highly competitive promotion race, as Kane Wilson’s late header saw off rivals Bolton.

Two of Paul Warne’s substitutes combined as Wilson nodded home a corner swung in by Callum Elder, who had entered the action only seconds earlier.

The win — in front of 32,538 fans, Derby’s biggest home crowd in seven years — took the Rams four points clear of third-placed Wanderers with seven games to play.

Derby were indebted to goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith, who pulled off a string of crucial saves to leave Bolton frustrated.

‘It was two teams with two brilliant sets of fans going for it,’ Warne said.

‘It felt like it would come down to one set-piece and we got it.

‘I harp on to the lads to bend, not break, and be solid. I don’t know whether the four points is big enough, or too big.

‘It’s no good leaving the ground today thinking we’ve got it sussed.’

Bolton really should have been out of sight by the time Wilson scored. Wildsmith made a superb onehanded save to keep out

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s close-range header in the first-half.

After the break, Derby’s keeper denied Josh Sheehan, Bodvarsson again and George Thomason as Bolton turned up the pressure.

But with 12 minutes remaining an effective Derby set-piece settled it, with Martyn Waghorn getting out of the path of Wilson’s header just in time.

Bolton boss Ian Evatt said: ‘It’s not over, there’s a lot of football to be played. We have to stay calm and keep the faith.

‘Nobody could agree that Derby deserved to win the game, we were totally dominant and had lots of good play. We conceded a poor goal. We have not got the result, so it doesn’t feel fair but football isn’t fair and life isn’t fair.’