Wes Burns netted in the 67th minute to see the Blues to a 1-0 victory over Derby County, their first home victory over the Rams since March 2014. Burns smashed into the net after Kayden Jackson, who later saw a penalty saved, had hit the post having seized upon an under-hit Curtis Davies back pass to see Town to a rare victory in front of the Sky cameras.
Town boss Kieran McKenna made two changed from the team which was beaten 1-0 by Lincoln last Saturday.
Tyreece John-Jules replaced Freddie Ladapo, who was on the bench, as the lone central striker with Jackson in for Conor Chaplin, who was also a sub, as the left-sided number 10 with Marcus Harness to his right.
Former Derby skipper Richard Keogh was among the subs, along with youngster Cameron Humphreys.
The Rams made one change to the team which won 3-0 at Accrington last week with Korey Smith replacing the injured Jason Knight.
Former Blues David McGoldrick, Conor Hourihane, Richard Stearman and Scott Loach were all on the bench.
Town were wearing their blackout third kit for the first time, while Derby were in their maroon third strip.
The Rams started the stronger with the game starting at a frenetic pace and created an opportunity in the opening minute, Jordan Sibley cutting back from the right to Eiran Cashin, who scuffed the ball into his own hand and the ball was cleared.
After finding themselves on the back foot in the opening couple of minutes, the Blues began to find their feet and in the sixth minute they went close to a goal.
A corner on the right was played to Lee Evans on the corner of the box from where he clipped the ball into the six-yard box towards Burns, who just failed to get his head to it and Rams keeper Joe Wildsmith indecisively bundled the ball behind.
Town continued to dominate and win corners and from a ninth-minute flag-kick John-Jules ought to have put the Blues in front when the on-loan Arsenal man was allowed a free header, however, the ball scuffed off his head and well wide. John-Jules appeared to claim he’d been pulled back but instead referee Lee Swabey awarded a corner, which it clearly wasn’t.
Blues skipper Sam Morsy was shown his fifth League One yellow card of the season a minute later for body-checking Lewis Dobbin, meaning the midfielder will miss the trip to his former club Port Vale on Tuesday.
John-Jules appealed for a penalty in the 15th minute when he cut inside Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on the left and was brought down, however, video evidence showed the Derby wideman had got the merest of touches to the ball, vindicating referee Swabey’s decision.
In the 21st minute, Harness beat Cashin a third of the way into the Derby half but overhit his pass through for Jackson to chase. Two minutes later, James Chester joined Morsy in the book for a foul on John-Jules on halfway.
With the game still being played at a high tempo, Evans sent Burns away on the right in the 25th minute, the wing-back crossed low and Cashin’s mishit clearance flashed across the face of his own goal and wide.
Derby had been little real threat but on 29 Luke Woolfenden and Leif Davis both failed to win tackles, however, Mendez-Laing’s low cross from the right was turned behind by one-time Rams loanee George Edmundson.
After a short spell with the Rams in the ascendency, the Blues got back on top. In the 37th minute, Burns crossed from the right, Davis headed back across goal from the far post and the ball was turned behind for a corner. Following the flag-kick, a Morsy shot was deflected up into the air and behind for yet another corner.
Evans hit a 25-yard free-kick into the Derby wall in the 42nd minute, then in the aftermath Harness’s low cross was cut out.
In the final scheduled minute of the half, Tom Barkhuizen played himself into trouble on the byline on the Town right and presented Burns with a shooting chance but fortunately for the former Preston man one of his teammates blocked.
Evans shot well over from distance and the Blues won their eighth corner of the half before referee Swabey ended the period.
Town had been the side on top for all bar a few short spells but without really creating too an out and out chance - Evans’s early cross towards Burns was the nearest the Blues had come to a goal - with a few too many passes in the final third having gone astray or cut out.
Derby had presented the occasional threat on the counter-attack but otherwise had been happy to frustrate Town, looking to break up the play and slow the game down where they were able.
Town began the second half positively, moving the ball around swiftly in and around the Derby box but with the Rams defending determinedly.
However, five minutes after the restart, Davis played himself into trouble on the Town left and the ball was moved across into the box but Janoi Donacien crowded out Dobbin.
A minute later, Smith was booked for pulling back Harness midway inside the Derby half on the right. Evans’s free-kick was headed into the air, Edmundson nodded down to Harness but his shot was blocked by Cashin’s shin.
On the hour, the Rams introduced former Blues forward McGoldrick to a warm ovation from his old fans.
Jackson curled well over from distance with Town’s early second half pressure having waned, as had been the case in some other recent home games.
On 64 ex-Town reserves midfielder Hourihane took over from William Osula for the visitors, then moments later a low Burns cross deflected to Wildsmith at his near post. But three minutes later, the Welshman gave the Blues the lead.
Cashin cut out a pass down the right and turned it inside to Rams skipper Curtis Davies, who played a back pass towards Wildsmith. However, Jackson used his pace to get onto the ball ahead of the keeper, took it to the former Sheffield Wednesday man’s right. His shot hit the post but the ball fell to Burns, who showed great composure to shoot past the defender on the line to send most of the 28,415 crowd into raptures.
Town went looking for a second, Jackson taking down a swiftly-taken Evans free-kick with his chest and shooting into the side-netting under pressure from the right of the box. On 67 Town swapped John-Jules for Ladapo, who was released by Derby boss Paul Warne at Rotherham in the summer.
Nine minutes later, Blues midfielder Evans was forced off having been caught on the knee in an earlier incident and Dominic Ball took over.
In the 78th minute, Morsy just overhit a pass into the path of Ladapo after Town had interchanged neatly during a quick break forward. As the game moved into its final 10 minutes, Derby replaced Barkhuizen with veteran Craig Forsyth and Smith with Liam Thompson.
The Blues weren’t far away from a second soon afterwards when the ball was cleared against Jackson, off a defender and behind as Ladapo tried to find himself space in the area.
And from the resultant corner Town won a penalty. Burns flicked a header goalwards and Wildsmith saved. The ball fell loose and McGoldrick tripped the Wales international as he sought to get onto it. The assistant on the right-hand side waved his flag and referee Swabey pointed to the spot.
With usual penalty taker Chaplin still on the bench and Evans substituted, Jackson took the kick but hit a weak effort to Wildsmith’s left and the keeper saved, the Blues’ second penalty miss in three this season and their third in their last six back to the start of 2021/22.
McGoldrick hit a low shot from 20 yards which Christian Walton palmed wide, his first real save of the game, although it appeared the ball might have been going wide in any case.
Derby, with skipper Davies up front having suffered an injury with all three of their breaks for substitutions wide, were taking the game to Town but with the Blues dealing with their attacks comfortably, however, the fourth official’s board indicating seven additional minutes wasn’t popular with the home support.
Derby continued to push but unconvincingly with their balls into the box unthreatening. The Blues, however, made little headway when breaking forward themselves.
In the final minute of the seven, ex-Ram Keogh took over from Donacien, who appeared to have picked up a knock.
Luke Woolfenden was shown a late yellow card for a foul but Town defended the free-kick and saw out the final moments to seal the three points and a rare Sky win, only their second in 23 matches.
Town deserved the win despite chances having been at a premium throughout. Jackson showed awareness to spot the opportunity to get onto the back pass, while Burns did well to clinically finish after the former Accrington man had hit the post.
The penalty ought to have sealed the win but in the end the latter stages Derby threatened little despite seeing a fair bit of the ball.
The victory moved the Blues a point away from leaders Plymouth and now four in front of Sheffield Wednesday in third.
Town: Walton, Donacien (Keogh 90), Woolfenden, Edmundson, Burns, Evans (Ball 76), Morsy (c), Davis, John-Jules (Ladapo 67), Harness, Jackson. Unused: Hladky, Humphreys, Edwards, Chaplin.
Derby: Wildsmith, Chester, Cashin, Barkhuizen (Forsyth 80), Bird, Mendez-Laing, Smith (Thompson 80), Sibley, Dobbin (McGoldrick 60), Osula (Hourihane 63), Davies (c). Unused: Loach, Roberts, Stearman. Referee: Lee Swabey (Devon). Att: 28,415 (Derby: 1,777).