Tom Ince's 40th minute goal has given Derby a 1-0 lead over the Blues at half-time at Portman Road.
Town boss Mick McCarthy named unchanged XI for the fifth successive game, while Luke Varney, who signed a contract to the end of the season yesterday, was on the bench replacing Jonny Parr, who missed out having picked up a knock. Former Blue Darren Bent was on the bench for the Rams.
Freddie Sears, fresh from his 16th second goal at Fulham on Tuesday, struck the game’s first shot in the fifth minute, cutting in from the left and hitting a low effort which Derby keeper Lee Grant, in for the injured Scott Carson, saved down to his right.
The Blues were starting the game positively and on eight Brett Pitman profited from Stephen Warnock’s slip on the Town right and sent over a cross which was just too long for strike partner Daryl Murphy.
Derby gradually began to see more of the ball but without creating a chance until the 12th minute when former Norwich midfielder Bradley Johnson shot wide from just outside the area having been teed up by Johnny Russell.
The Rams continued to see the majority of the possession but didn’t create another opportunity until the 21st minute when Ince escaped in space on the right and laid the ball across to Chris Martin, whose shot was superbly blocked by Tommy Smith.
Town threatened on 25 when Murphy nodded the ball down to Sears who was breaking down the left. The former Colchester man might have cut across to an unmarked Pitman earlier and his eventual cross was blocked.
Following the resultant corner, Christophe Berra picked up the game’s first yellow card for catching Warnock with a high boot as he tried to get a touch on a bouncing ball.
On 29 Pitman found Sears on the edge of the area with a pass from wide on the right but the ex-West Ham man’s first touch let him down and George Thorne was able to close him down and block. At the other end, Gerken saved Jacob Butterfield’s effort without fanfare.
A minute later, after Cole Skuse had collided with referee Keith Hill, the ball broke to Sears, who screwed a left-footed strike well wide.
Referee Hill gave Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Johnson a talking to on 34 after the on-loan Arsenal man had taken umbrage to the former Canary had diving in at him after he had already been tripped by one of his team-mates, leading to a short spell of pushing and shoving involving a handful of players.
Berra cut out a Warnock cross from the left on 38 after a swift Derby break, referee Hill having failed to spot a blatant handball during the build-up.
The half had been evenly balanced with few chances at either end but on 40 the visitors went in front.
Russell ran onto Martin’s knockdown midway inside the Town half and Berra’s challenge deflected straight to Ince, who took the ball into the area before hitting a shot which caught Jonas Knudsen’s studs and beat Gerken.
The Blues were unable to find a response before referee Hill, whose somewhat erratic decision-making was increasingly infuriating the Town support, blew his whistle to signal half-time.
There had been little in a not overly entertaining game up to the Derby goal, which as so often this season was one that Town really ought to have been able to defend, even if there had been an element of good fortune for the Rams.
When Town had been in good positions all too often they had been let down by a poor final ball or a bad first touch and Derby keeper Grant had never seriously been tested.
Gerken similarly hadn’t been forced into a significant save prior to the visitors taking the lead.
Town: Gerken, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse, Douglas, Maitland-Niles, Sears, Pitman, Murphy. Subs: Bialkowski, Malarczyk, Coke, Oar, Bru, Fraser, Varney.
Derby: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Martin (c), Russell, Shackell, Johnson, Butterfield, Ince, Thorne, Warnock. Subs: Mitchell, Hendrick, Bent, Baird, Pearce Weimann, Shotton. Referee: Keith Hill (Hertfordshire).