Saturday 28th September 2019
SkyBet EFL Championship
at Pride Park
Derby County (1) 3
Chris Martin 2,
Martyn Waghorn 50,
Jamie Paterson 74
Chris Martin 2,
Martyn Waghorn 50,
Jamie Paterson 74
Birmingham City (0) 2
Gary Gardner 56,
Ivan Sunjic 59
Gary Gardner 56,
Ivan Sunjic 59
Attendamce: 28,451
Point & hope photo link: click HERE
Point & hope photo link: click HERE
Derby County:
Roos, Lowe, Malone, Bielik, Davies, Huddlestone, Holmes (Knight 90), Paterson, Martin (Marriot 71), Waghorn, Jozefzoon (Bogle 71).
Unused subs - Hamer, Shinnie, Dowell, Clarke.
Birmingham City:
Camp, Colin, Pedersen, Dean, Roberts, Crowley, Gary Gardner (Bellingham 76), Sunjic, Maghoma (Villalba 76), Jutkiewicz, Gimenez.
Unused subs - Stockdale, Harding, Clarke-Salter, Villalba, Mrabti, Bailey.
Today's host club have been in the news these past few days, making the front pages, as well as the back, for all of the wrong sort of reasons.... none of which, that have absolutely anything whatsoever to do with football.
However, in the main, this blog is about the game itself... and a myriad of various 'activities' related to travelling to and from games, from the perspective of an enthusiastic travelling fan.
But, it is not, nor ever will be, a vehicle for populist, ratings enhancing gossip, click-baiting or judgemental rants.
So, I'll digress from expanding at any great length, about the criminal behaviour of several so called professional footballers, during the week leading up to this game.
But, if truth be told, I don't really need to elaborate, because their actions spoke considerably louder than any amount of words ever could... and unless you're that (very) elderly Japanese soldier, who is still living all alone, holed up in a highly fortified woodland stockade, a few miles along the coast from Shikokuchūō, because nobody has told you that the Second World War actually ended years ago, then you'll have already heard exactly what went off anyway.
However, as a precautionary measure, I travelled to Pride Park by train this afternoon, just in case any of the Derby County squad were using the roads around Pride Park... you can never be too careful.
Moving swiftly on... prior to this afternoon's Championship clash, the home side, AKA: the team formerly known as 'Frank Lampard's Derby County', had drawn five of their opening eight fixtures, including last Saturday's credible 1-1 result, at Elland Road, against the (then) Championship leaders: Leeds United, where Chris Martin had scored Derby's equaliser in stoppage time.
Of course, by virtue of winning at Stoke City last night, Nottingham Forest moved to the top of the table. With their travelling fans serenading the Potters faithful, with chants of: "You're going down with the Derby!"
However, I feel compelled to answer that particular song at this juncture, by saying that: if Derby continue to battle with anything like the resilience that they showed against a live-wire Blues today, there won't be any risk of them facing the drop at the end of the season
Meanwhile, having enjoyed back to back wins, at home against Stoke City, and away at Charlton Athletic, Pep Clotet's Blues put in a lacklustre shift against Preston North End at St. Andrew's last weekend, in a game that saw Alex Neil's side grind out a 0-1 win, on an afternoon that I've requested a DVD of the game from, to use as a cure for my regular bouts of insomnia. Even if, to that end, Stephen Martin, the match referee last week's performance, might cause me to have a few nightmares.
Although, I'm told that, reading this: long winded, self indulgent, bullshit blog, with added football content, before slipping into a catatonic stupor at bedtime, can induce very similar results. For the record, today's man in the middle didn't impress me very much either, buy hey! What the effing hell do I know about such things?
So the scene was set, as the eighteenth placed Rams took to the field against a Blues side who started the day in twelfth, five points above their hosts..
While travelling to the game, I commented on a thread on the @BirminghamFanTV Twitter feed: "The question is: will Derby be disrupted, or galvanised by a siege mentality, following their off-field events this week?" Well, the Rams had answered my speculative post inside the opening two minutes, when Duane Holmes intercepted a misplaced pass from Gary Gardner to Kristian Pedersen, before charging forward on the right and crossing towards Chris Martin, who took the ball down on his chest before shooting on the turn. Martin didn't connect with the ball properly, but his miscued effort found its way through Maxime Colin's legs and trickled into Lee Camp's net, while the Blues keeper had positioned himself in anticipation of a clean strike.
Martin had been slaughtered, quite mercilessly, by some Rams fans on social media, when the two sides had been announced during the build up to the game. But whatever his limitations might be, a striker's job is to get into the right positions at the right times... and to score goals. Aesthetics aren't everything.
Blues went close to forcing an equaliser when Pedersen's left wing cross narrowly evaded both Lukas Jutkiewicz and Alvaro Gimenez, while Krystian Bielik steered the ball away from danger, with what looked suspiciously like his right hand. But Simon Hooper, the match referee, was momentarily distracted by a text message on his phone, from the EFL, reminding him that they had an assessor at today's game, monitoring his performance, who just happened to be a staunch Derby County supporter.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, the Rams were on the attack out on the right flank once again, but this time when Holmes delivered the ball to Martin, he took aim and... frightened the life out of 'buxom' lady who was scaling the stairs towards the back of the North Stand, with her second helping of pizza and chips of the afternoon.
Perhaps he should just stick to 'scuffing' any chances that fall his way in future.
Tom Huddlestone was a forthright 'presence' for hosts, throwing his weight about in the middle of the park to good effect... and seemingly on occasion with complete impunity too, unless of course, Mr Hooper missed the blatant shoulder charge that caught Gimenez full on in his face, while he was otherwise engaged, waving to and blowing kisses at the match assessor (the one with the Derby County tattoo), sat up in the stand.
HT: Derby County 1 v Birmingham City 0
He’s from Dubrovnik,
He plays like Modric,
His cock’s fucking massive!"
Now you know... so feel free to join in next time.
It's proper catchy, isn't it!?
Jude Bellingham, linked up with Crowley and Colin, to open up the Derby defence through the right channel, but when Colin's cross was met by Gimenez, a last ditch blocking challenge by Bielik, who was lucky to still be on the field of play, denied Blues a late equaliser.
Derby defended stoically in the closing stages and held on to claim the points, on an afternoon when the game could have gone either way and Pep Clotet's side did not deserve to leave the field empty handed.
FT: Derby County 3 v Birmingham City 2
Roos, Lowe, Malone, Bielik, Davies, Huddlestone, Holmes (Knight 90), Paterson, Martin (Marriot 71), Waghorn, Jozefzoon (Bogle 71).
Unused subs - Hamer, Shinnie, Dowell, Clarke.
Birmingham City:
Camp, Colin, Pedersen, Dean, Roberts, Crowley, Gary Gardner (Bellingham 76), Sunjic, Maghoma (Villalba 76), Jutkiewicz, Gimenez.
Unused subs - Stockdale, Harding, Clarke-Salter, Villalba, Mrabti, Bailey.
However, in the main, this blog is about the game itself... and a myriad of various 'activities' related to travelling to and from games, from the perspective of an enthusiastic travelling fan.
But, it is not, nor ever will be, a vehicle for populist, ratings enhancing gossip, click-baiting or judgemental rants.
 |
| "Any updates from Interpol on the whereabouts of James Beattie yet?" |
But, if truth be told, I don't really need to elaborate, because their actions spoke considerably louder than any amount of words ever could... and unless you're that (very) elderly Japanese soldier, who is still living all alone, holed up in a highly fortified woodland stockade, a few miles along the coast from Shikokuchūō, because nobody has told you that the Second World War actually ended years ago, then you'll have already heard exactly what went off anyway.
Moving swiftly on... prior to this afternoon's Championship clash, the home side, AKA: the team formerly known as 'Frank Lampard's Derby County', had drawn five of their opening eight fixtures, including last Saturday's credible 1-1 result, at Elland Road, against the (then) Championship leaders: Leeds United, where Chris Martin had scored Derby's equaliser in stoppage time.
However, I feel compelled to answer that particular song at this juncture, by saying that: if Derby continue to battle with anything like the resilience that they showed against a live-wire Blues today, there won't be any risk of them facing the drop at the end of the season
So the scene was set, as the eighteenth placed Rams took to the field against a Blues side who started the day in twelfth, five points above their hosts..
Blues went close to forcing an equaliser when Pedersen's left wing cross narrowly evaded both Lukas Jutkiewicz and Alvaro Gimenez, while Krystian Bielik steered the ball away from danger, with what looked suspiciously like his right hand. But Simon Hooper, the match referee, was momentarily distracted by a text message on his phone, from the EFL, reminding him that they had an assessor at today's game, monitoring his performance, who just happened to be a staunch Derby County supporter.
Perhaps he should just stick to 'scuffing' any chances that fall his way in future.
HT: Derby County 1 v Birmingham City 0
The game could've gone either way in the first half... and it opened up even more after the break.
Jutkiewicz almost levelled things up, but his header, from Danny Crowley's delivery, glanced off of Curtis Davies and went narrowly wide of the upright.
A stray Blues pass had led to Derby's opening goal, right at the start of the first half and five minutes into the second, a slip by Marc Roberts, gifted the Rams with an opportunity to double their lead, as Martin snaffled up the loose ball and set off on a run towards Camp's goal. Roberts regained his footing and gave chase... and even tried pulling Martin back by grabbing his shirt.
But the Rams player stayed upright and laid the ball off sideways to Martyn Waghorn, who had run forward in tandem with him... and the rest was academic, despite the best efforts of the stranded and over exposed Blues keeper. Though no doubt, there will still be an increasingly boring faction of people who will lay the blame for Waghorn's goal squarely at Camp's door.
Kelle Roos the Derby keeper, pushed Crowley's goal-bound shot away, at the expense of a corner, that Crowley took towards Gardner and Pedersen at the near post, from where the former glanced the ball past Roos to pull a goal back for the visitors.
After going two goals up, the home support were jumping up and down and singing 'their' bouncing song (AKA, the one that they nicked off of the Sheffield Wednesday fans), cue a: "You're not bouncing anymore!" retort from the sold out following of Blues supporters.
Three minutes after Gardner's strike, Blues drew level, when Jaques Maghoma floated a long pass into the Derby area towards Jutkiewicz, who was tightly marked and as the ball fell to Crowley he couldn't get his shot away, but the Rams attempted clearance went straight to Ivan Šunjić, on the edge of the area, who bulged Roos' net with a pile-driver of a shot. Game on!
For the benefit of those of you who thought that you might have misheard the words to the song that the Birmingham fans were singing in tribute to their Croatian play-maker, you probably hadn't, but here they are anyway.
"Ivan Šunjić,
Ivan Šunjić,He’s from Dubrovnik,
He plays like Modric,
His cock’s fucking massive!"
Now you know... so feel free to join in next time.
It's proper catchy, isn't it!?
It was backs against the wall time for the Rams, as Pep Clotet's side forced a string of corners.
But Camp still had to remain alert, as Derby got forward on the counter attack and Waghorn tested the Blues keeper with a powerful downwards header.
Maghoma won the ball and set the Blues wheels in motion once again, sending Gimenez racing into the left hand side of the area with a great measured pass; but before the Spaniard could test Roos, Bielik scythed him down from behind.
Bielik had already been yellow carded during first half stoppage time, so surely, the obvious thing for the referee to do would be to issue the Rams defender with a second yellow and send him off. Wouldn't it? Apparently not.
When it comes to penalty awards, any further punishments incurred, are completely at the referee's discretion.
Jutkiewicz took responsibility for the resulting spot-kick, but probably wished that he hadn't, when Roos dived to his left to turn the ball away.
Blues surrendered possession cheaply from a throw in and suddenly, Jamie Paterson was spearheading a three man attack, who made good of the acres of space ahead of them... and though Pedersen and Sunjic almost got back in the nick of time, Paterson remained calm and rolled a shot past Camp, for what turned out to be the decisive winning goal.
Maxime Colin attempted to restore parity immediately, but his shot hit a defenders arm... and the referee judged the moment to be a 'ball to hand' incident, while his assessor bounced up and down twirling his Rams scarf round his head (allegedly).
Derby defended stoically in the closing stages and held on to claim the points, on an afternoon when the game could have gone either way and Pep Clotet's side did not deserve to leave the field empty handed.
FT: Derby County 3 v Birmingham City 2
Blues are back in action again on Tuesday night, when they travel to Wigan Athletic, before facing Middlesbrough at St. Andrew's three nights later.
Meanwhile, the Rams travel to Barnsley on Wednesday night, and then entertain Luton Town at Pride Park next weekend.
Today's results saw another team: West Bromwich Albion, take over the 'pacemaker' role at the top of the Championship table. Huddersfield Town and Stoke City, are still occupying the bottom two places, with just two points apiece, from their opening nine games.
Birmingham City slipped down one place to thirteenth, by virtue of today's defeat... and Philip Cocu's Derby County moved up to fourteenth.
Today's results saw another team: West Bromwich Albion, take over the 'pacemaker' role at the top of the Championship table. Huddersfield Town and Stoke City, are still occupying the bottom two places, with just two points apiece, from their opening nine games.
Birmingham City slipped down one place to thirteenth, by virtue of today's defeat... and Philip Cocu's Derby County moved up to fourteenth.
