Bristol City fans would be forgiven for wondering if that was the same Derby County they faced at Pride Park back in August. On that sunny Saturday afternoon, the Rams were electric and won at a canter after surviving an early barrage. Fans talked about it as potentially their best game in half a decade.
At Ashton Gate, it was quite the opposite: a slow, obvious game of nothing in which the impacts of the recent hectic fixture schedule were evident, particularly in a dire second half.
The Derby boss made three changes. In a huge blow, Ebou Adams missed out with concussion, while Sonny Bradley and Craig Forsyth dropped to the bench. In came Callum Elder, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, and Liam Thompson who Warne admitted wasn’t match fit, as he reverted to a 4-2-3-1.
The Rams started the better of the two sides, building well down the left to find Mendez-Laing whose chipped effort was saved by Max O’Leary at full stretch.
Getting on the end of a Kane Wilson cross, Marcus Harness saw his header bounce wide, before the hosts took the lead just two minutes later.
The Robins had a free kick 30 yards out following a mix up between Elder and Nat Phillips. Scott Twine delivered the free kick behind Derby’s defence, and it was met by centre back Luke McNally, who volleyed past Jacob Widell Zetterström from six yards.
Positioned 18 yards from goal, Derby’s defensive line had been far too high, and they were punished for it.
Spurred on by what had become a lively home crowd, Bristol City soon had a chance for a second. Anis Mehmeti chipped the ball to Twine, eight yards out, but Callum Elder made a top tackle to prevent the hosts’ number 10 from getting his shot away.
Either side of the half hour mark, Derby set pieces found the head of Curtis Nelson, who was twice denied by O’Leary.
And with two minutes of the half to play, Harness shot wide from another Wilson cross.
Look up the term damp squib and you may soon find the second half. Frankly, the lack of quality on show was more painful than the earache I’ve had for the past week.
For Derby, Thompson fired over from range after a corner hit the first man and came out to him. While for Liam Manning’s side, substitute Fally Mayulu fluffed his lines from a couple of good positions, and former Rams loanee Haydon Roberts hit a half-volley wide.
Analysis: ‘An excuse’, injuries, and bizarre substitutions
A recurring theme in Paul Warne’s post-match interviews with Rams TV, BBC Radio Derby and DerbyshireLive was his feeling that this was “a game too far.”
The former Rotherham boss made what he pre-empted as ‘an excuse’ citing the high number of players that are out injured, ill, carrying injuries or not match fit after returning from one, including Liam Thompson, Ben Osborn and Jerry Yates who all featured in the game.
Warne has often been pleased with his side’s displays despite defeat, that was not the case today.
The head coach looked somewhat deflated come full time when he told RamsTV: “Fundamentally, we weren’t good enough from one to 11 today, and I include myself in that.”
Even for a manager who has a reputation for sometimes being too honest with the media, it was a frank statement.
But it was fair. His substitutions seemed to backfire as what had been a fairly even game became ever more tepid. Any semblance of attacking spark fizzled out, with Derby failing to hit the target in the second half and substitutes struggling to keep the ball in the middle of the park.
Derby now don’t have a league game for 14 days, though they do play in-form League One side Leyton Orient on Saturday (January 11). With the Rams having suffered three consecutive defeats, and the gap between the club and the relegation zone having narrowed to four points, a ‘cupset’ would likely pile on the pressure.
However, it could be a welcome distraction, with the upcoming lighter fixture list offering the chance for players to recover from injuries or illnesses, and a chance to get back on the training ground.
It’s hard to know exactly what stage of their recovery Ryan Nyambe, Eiran Cashin and David Ozoh are at, with Warne having told BBC Radio Derby that they would be “back on the grass,” following the trip to Leyton Orient, and Rams TV that he “should have all three of them back in the squad,” by that point.
But their returns, and a couple of new additions, would be a much-needed boost for the Rams.
Bristol City (3-4-2-1): O’Leary (GK); Vyner, McNally, Dickie; McCrorie (McCrorie 58’), Knight (C), Bird, Roberts; Twine (Hirakawa 78’), Mehmeti, Wells (Mayulu 58’).
Substitutes not used: Bajic (GK), Bell, Cornick, McGuane, Morrison, Earthy.
Derby (4-2-3-1): Zetterström (GK); Wilson, Nelson, Phillips, Elder; Thompson (Forsyth 71’), Goudmijn (Chirewa 63’); Jackson (Osborn 46’), Harness (Brown 71’), Mendez-Laing (C) (Collins 88’), Yates.
Substitutes not used: Vickers (GK), Rooney, Bradley, Barkhuizen.
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