Chris Martin’s second half goal saw Derby to a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Portman Road. Martin seized on a Tommy Smith error in the 57th minute to win the game for the Rams, who had John Eustace sent off late on.

Cole Skuse missed out through illness with Luke Hyam taking his place in Town's central midfield, while Tyrone Mings starting at left-back for Jonny Parr was the only other change from the team which lined-up against Charlton in Town’s last league game.

Ex-Blue Darren Bent was amongst Derby’s subs, while former Town academy schoolboy and ballboy Richard Keogh skippered the Rams.

In gusty conditions, Town went close to going in front in the third minute when David McGoldrick played Jay Tabb in behind the Derby defence on the left of the area with a superb cross-field pass. But the midfielder’s low shot was saved by Rams keeper Lee Grant and Daryl Murphy’s rebound was blocked.

The Rams dominated the early possession but without threatening Bartosz Bialkowski’s goal and on 14 Town went close again. McGoldrick played the ball into Murphy’s feet on the edge of the box, the Town top scorer laying it back to the former Forest striker, who hit a powerful curling shot over.

Derby created their first opportunity in the 15th minute, Jordan Ibe cutting a ball across from the left and finding Jeff Hendrick, whose shot was blocked. Cyrus Christie’s rebound flew well wide.

A minute later, Tommy Smith was booked for tripping a Johnny Russell when in full-flight breaking towards the area. Russell curled the freekick wide.

The Rams had much the better of the next 10 minutes or so, continuing to have most of the ball, but without creating a further opportunity.

On 26 McGoldrick worked himself space on the edge of the box but his shot was deflected over. From the resultant corner Murphy nodded it down but McGoldrick was unable to turn goalwards. Three minutes later, Anderson hit a speculative effort from distance well wide.

John Eustace was booked for pulling back McGoldrick as Town broke in the 39th minute with the game not really having lived up to its billing. Following the freekick, McGoldrick helped create an opening for Murphy wide on the left but his strike from a tight angle flew over.

In the 43rd minute Berra made a superb saving challenge on Russell as the Scottish international shot having broken into the area.

There was a flare-up between McGoldrick and Eustace a minute before the end of the half when the Rams midfielder barged the Town striker while off the ball as Town broke, the Irish international striker catching the former Watford man as he fell.

Referee Kevin Wright bizarrely gave the freekick to Derby as McGoldrick expressed his displeasure by pushing Eustace in the chest as a number of other players joined in the melee. After order was restored, referee Wright booked McGoldrick but issued no sanction to Eustace, who had already been yellow-carded.

At the whistle, skipper Luke Chambers and a number of other Town players continued to remonstrate with the official, who was booed off by the Blues support.

Overall, Derby had had the better of a not overly-enthralling first half, having most of the ball and passing it around slickly, however, without creating many clear-cut opportunities.

Town, under-par compared with other recent home first-half performances, defended solidly for the most part and managed to carve out the better of the game’s few chances when going forward, Tabb’s early effort probably the best.

Teddy Bishop struck the first serious shot of the second half five minutes after the restart, the 18-year-old forcing Grant to scramble the ball away somewhat uncomfortably to his right before the danger was cleared.

The Town players made a strong claim for a penalty in the 53rd minute when - after excellent work from Mings and McGoldrick - Keogh appeared to block Tabb’s cross from the left with his arm. Referee Wright remained unmoved much the continued annoyance of the home fans, however, replays suggested he was correct.

Ex-Canary Martin headed Christie’s right-wing cross well wide in the 55th minute, then on 56 Stephen Hunt took over from Tabb.

Despite the Blues having started the half strongly, the visitors went ahead in the 57th minute. Smith misjudged Christie’s long ball over the top, weakly nodding back towards Bialkowski, allowing Martin to nip in to poke home. The ball had appeared to hold up in the wind and Smith ought to have cleared rather than looking to head back to his keeper.

Top scorer Murphy ought to have added to his 17 goals on the hour when McGoldrick flicked on a ball from the right but former Sunderland man failed to make enough contact and Grant saved and claimed the loose ball ahead of Hunt.

Russell hit a low shot which gave Bialkowski little trouble on 65, then Christophe Berra headed Hunt’s freekick from the left to Grant at the far post.

Two minutes later McGoldrick scuffed wide, moments before Noel Hunt replaced Anderson. On 72 Kevin Bru replaced Bishop.

As the game moved into its final 10 minutes Hunt and Hendrick clashed heads, the Derby man having to go off and the Blues winger requiring a change of shirt and shorts and a bandage.

Hyam was booked for pulling back Russell on 85 with Derby now largely happy to sit back and soak up Town pressure with the Blues showing few signs of getting back on terms.

As the game moved into injury time Eustace was finally shown a second yellow card, once again for a foul on McGoldrick. The Town support will have felt it ought to have come much earlier.

Town looked to put the pressure on in the final moments, Bru hitting a powerful 25-yard strike which Grant did well to save, then McGoldrick forcing a corner with a deflected shot wide. From the corner the ball was nodded back to the near post but Noel Hunt couldn’t add the final touch.

The Blues won another corner deep, deep in injury time, after a Stephen Hunt freekick had been punched out by Grant, from which Smith headed over, but moments later referee Wright’s whistle confirmed the Blues’ first defeat since October 21st at Cardiff, halting their unbeaten run at 12. It was Town’s first home loss since August 23rd.

Having started the second half on top, the Blues somewhat gifted the goal to Derby, who from there saw the game out without too many dramas against a Town side which huffed and puffed but made little headway against a Rams team who on this evidence appear more likely automatic promotion challengers.

As so often in the Championship there wasn’t too much between the sides - although the more composed Derby were in control for the most part - with one error deciding which way the points would go.

The result sees the Blues drop to third with none of the teams in action able to go ahead of them.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Mings, Berra, Smith, Hyam, Bishop (Bru 72), Tabb (S Hunt), Anderson (N Hunt 68), Murphy, McGoldrick. Unused: Gerken, Parr, N Hunt, Bajner, Ambrose.

Derby: Grant, Christie, Forsyth, Buxton, Keogh (c), Eustace, Hendrick (Bryson 81), Hughes, Russell (Shotton 90), Ibe (Dawkins 86), Martin. Unused: Roos, Ward, Mascarell, Bent. Kevin Wright (Merseyside). Att: 20,861 (Derby: 873).

Photo: Action Images

bluefeast added 14:33 - Jan 10 Wil Hughes and Luke Hyam sharing the same pitch is a real joke ,Hyam is not a top end championship player and should be nowhere near the squad. I dont like picking on individuals but between him chambers and anderson we have the worst 3 players in possession in the top 6. All we did was hoof the ball really and if we didnt we did not pass the ball quickly enough.
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Michael11 added 14:34 - Jan 10 We had a bit of an off day today and got punished. It doesn't help when you're playing against 12 men though! (appalling referee) Poor defending for the goal but Tommy's been outstanding since returning to the team. I think we missed Skuse's composure on the ball as Luke Hyam just doesn't provide that at all. Can't be too hard on the boys with only 2 defeats in 22 though. Hopefully just an off day and we'll bounce back at Millwall next weekend! As McCarthy always says, don't get carried away when winning and keep calm when things aren't going right and we'll be just fine!

42

Green_Army added 14:36 - Jan 10 Poor performance from the boys today but it's a fine line in the Championship and sometimes you need that lucky bounce or defensive error and that was the difference. The long ball after long ball was frustrating as we are capable of playing some slick football, but feel we really missed Skuse acting as the lynchpin in the middle of the park, Hyam did ok but isn't as disaplined to do the job needed in there. Not the end of the world though, onwards and upwards - keep the spirit high!

21

DurhamTownFan added 14:36 - Jan 10 Wanted to be one of the first to comment here. As bad as we were and as disappointed I feel right now, we HAVE to put this in perspective. Neither team played well or created many chances. We switched off for two seconds, and they didn't. That's really not enough to go ranting about how bad we were and how good Derby were, because they weren't and neither were we. We play hard, attritional football, which sometimes just doesn't pay off, same as how pretty passing football sometimes doesn't work. The good news is that we have a cushion above Middlesbrough, and that we have a massive game against Southampton in the week, for which the lads can't fail to be excited. If we play well, regardless of the result, we should feel confident against Milwall, Brighton and Wigan. In all of our discussions about our potential to go up this season, I've consistently said that we will only find out how good we really are after we lose a game. It's just a pity it was against a rival! We can all rant about how badly we played like bluefast, but hey, let's get behind the lads now because they need it.

51

BlueSwede added 14:36 - Jan 10 I hope I never see that ref again. Had a feeling we would loose the game from the minute he failed to send Eustace off in the first half. And then when he didn't give the penalty in the second...
8

bluefeast added 14:37 - Jan 10 It will be an off day and Mick will pick a totally different midfield going forward. Hyam wont get near it. You cannot have players like him to effect a game and stay in the top 6. Bishop needed help in order to find pockets of space. That needs your partner in midfield to have composure ,sadly that really lacked today...
6

Kentish_Tractor added 14:38 - Jan 10 One of those days where everything that could go wrong — did go wrong. Skuse gets ill 1 day before the game, forcing a change of Hyam into the team, who is not match fit and is rusty. Strong winds meaning our usually measured long-ball game is thrown off completely. Murph shoots when he should cross for an Ando tap-in. Dids gets booked for tripping a player when Eustace could have been shown a 2nd yellow card much earlier for barging Dids over 1st. Ref misses a blatant penalty. Derby go straight down the other end and score from the only error all day from our defence. First touch as basic passing was off from pretty much everyone, we had no width, Murph was exceedingly quiet (curse of Player of the Month?), and we only look like scoring when they go down to 10. Credit to Derby whom worked very hard, used their pace with Ibe vs Chambers (should Parr have played today?), and their extra quality with their central midfield 3 to pass around us all game. We need to brush this off, forget it happened and come back strong vs Southampton, then 3 games against bottom-4 clubs to hopefully keep us up there.

19

DazBent added 14:38 - Jan 10 Reading some pathetic comments, not one of our finest outings but it was a game which could of easily swung in our favour. 2 defeats in 20, after today's game I've forgotten what it's like to lose and that's enough for me, the most important moment now is how we bounce back? Forget about Southampton, what ever happens happens there but Millwall away is a huge test of character. I urge Town fans to fill the stand and show Mick and the players how much we appreciate their performances .

14

clint_eastwood added 14:39 - Jan 10 Too many friggin hoof ball!!...aaarrgghh....
0

ArnieM added 14:40 - Jan 10 1-0 to the ref. What a biased barsteward. Did he arrive at the ground on thd fetkin Derby team bus?? Derby shuold have bern down to 10 men after 30 mins. Not poor referring but just plain bloody biased!
12

dagenhamtown added 14:41 - Jan 10 Bad day at office totally dominated in midfield won not enough second balls and huffed and puffed and did not provide enough good service to front to who also seemed slightly lefargic.bottom line as I said dominated by derby centre midfield who controlled game roll onmillwall.
4

rambohambo added 14:41 - Jan 10 We dint deserve the win but we dint deserve to lose , poor support from derby there fans wouldn't get them through a open door , and well done to the ref very poor all game.
4

tomitfc added 14:43 - Jan 10 We seriously need to consider making the most of this transfer window, this is the best oppurtunity we've had in years to reach the premier league. Matches like today just show our serious lack of squad depth.
10

bluefeast added 14:43 - Jan 10 Football draws different opinions. Derby are a decent side and so are we. I do believe this is an off day but the differences today were not just about good and bad luck or a bad ref ,which he certainly was. We did not make the most of things when in possession time and time again. Effort was great , but we lacked that bit of class from the moment Murphy scuffed his chance in the first 10 minutes. Onwards i hope , but our next 3 fixtures are not easy , they are really hard , the same as every game in this league. I hope we strengthen central midfield with some experience.

3

unknown100 added 14:44 - Jan 10 Can't lie and say I'm not disappointed but feel Anderson is the weak link, played very deep and didn't have much link up play, also didn't allow the full backs to get forward Think mcgoldrick had a good game but Murphy didn't play very central today which didnt help the link up. It's a shame about the defensive mistake that led to the goal because otherwise didn't look like scoring Will Hughes is a very good player but think we need a good pacey winger because the 2 hunts and Anderson aren't good enough

4

Lightningboy added 14:45 - Jan 10 Very scrappy game which could've gone either way - typical an ex Norwich player had to get the goal. Thought far too many of our players had an "off" day..as much as I like Chambers' commitment I think we're much better going forward with Parr at right back..Mings didn't whip enough crosses in today when in a good crossing position..McGoldrick had yet another poor game for the cameras and Smith & Berra were too indecisive with high balls into the middle. As Mick said a few weeks ago,it's how we react now to a defeat that'll be the real test of character.

5

Fat_Boy_Tim added 14:45 - Jan 10 And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we need Cole Skuse in the team! Not out best performance, ref was fair but just suited Derby's style more than ours. I get the feeling a lot of the "physical" comments from opposition managers before Town games are simply to play this up in the refs' mind.
9

skinnyman27 added 14:46 - Jan 10 im proud of the boys today, ok it wasnt our best performance ever but dont forget derby are a good team. if we had got that penalty, which was as clear cut as they come it would have been so different, we would have sat back and played the counter attack but in the end thats what derby did. come on town fans dont doubt or moan about town, its one defeat, lets just make sure we bounce back well, shame we have to play a cup game before next match.

2

warktheline added 14:52 - Jan 10 Agree with some views on hyam, thought he, at times disrupted play going forward. Murphy well shackled. Derby fought us all over the pitch, and therefore neutralised our game, to a degree. That said, the game was decided on fine margins. Always disappointing to lose, but all good runs come to an end. Would be something if we could go on another fine run. Some of the boys will be taking some pelters of Mick and TC right now.

6

chepstowblue added 15:01 - Jan 10 It was an abject performance,ok for the first 15 mins and huff and puff for the last 5 but lacking in guile. At 1-0 down we played as tho we were 1-0 up with 8 men behind the ball and giving it away whenever we passed it short. Its been evident for most of the season that we have a midfield who are better without the ball than with it and i agree with bluefeast that Hughes and Hyam are worlds apart in ability. We will continue to win games playing like this but when its bad its very difficult viewing. How Hyam stayed on for 90 was astonishing. Id have taken a point at the start and to be beaten by a rare defensive error only, shows we arent far away. Ive no doubt we will bounce back at Millwall.

2

chepstowblue added 15:01 - Jan 10 It was an abject performance,ok for the first 15 mins and huff and puff for the last 5 but lacking in guile. At 1-0 down we played as tho we were 1-0 up with 8 men behind the ball and giving it away whenever we passed it short. Its been evident for most of the season that we have a midfield who are better without the ball than with it and i agree with bluefeast that Hughes and Hyam are worlds apart in ability. We will continue to win games playing like this but when its bad its very difficult viewing. How Hyam stayed on for 90 was astonishing. Id have taken a point at the start and to be beaten by a rare defensive error only, shows we arent far away. Ive no doubt we will bounce back at Millwall.

2

chepstowblue added 15:02 - Jan 10 It was an abject performance,ok for the first 15 mins and huff and puff for the last 5 but lacking in guile. At 1-0 down we played as tho we were 1-0 up with 8 men behind the ball and giving it away whenever we passed it short. Its been evident for most of the season that we have a midfield who are better without the ball than with it and i agree with bluefeast that Hughes and Hyam are worlds apart in ability. We will continue to win games playing like this but when its bad its very difficult viewing. How Hyam stayed on for 90 was astonishing. Id have taken a point at the start and to be beaten by a rare defensive error only, shows we arent far away. Ive no doubt we will bounce back at Millwall.

2

chepstowblue added 15:02 - Jan 10 It was an abject performance,ok for the first 15 mins and huff and puff for the last 5 but lacking in guile. At 1-0 down we played as tho we were 1-0 up with 8 men behind the ball and giving it away whenever we passed it short. Its been evident for most of the season that we have a midfield who are better without the ball than with it and i agree with bluefeast that Hughes and Hyam are worlds apart in ability. We will continue to win games playing like this but when its bad its very difficult viewing. How Hyam stayed on for 90 was astonishing. Id have taken a point at the start and to be beaten by a rare defensive error only, shows we arent far away. Ive no doubt we will bounce back at Millwall.

2

battyblue added 15:02 - Jan 10 Luke Hyam was crap today we need to go forward to score goals not backwards when we are chasing the game to much of a defensive player okay to bring on if seeing out a one nil otherwise not good enough.Little disappointed with to lose should half make at least one of our chances count but not the end of the world been a great run and i am sure we can go again. referee a disgrace to the game.

5

Samassi100Abou added 15:02 - Jan 10 Best team won Deeply disappointed, best two players on the pitch were Berra and smith shame for his error he was immense small margins at the top, I thought bish and hyam struggled goes to show we are missing little Johnny Williams, Didz and murph seemed sluggish maybe a fa cup hangover who knows We all knew it had to come to an end sooner or later it's all about how we bounce back, I'm starting to think a defeat Wednesday will be a blessing in disguise

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