When Joe Wildsmith needlessly came out to challenge Mark Harris and gave away a penalty inside the first minute of the game, Derby fans could perhaps have been forgiven for thinking: “Here we go again.” Despite their run of seven wins and a draw in their previous eight league games, the Rams record against League One’s top six this season didn’t make for encouraging reading, and Wildsmith’s foul made it three penalties conceded in the last four games.
Cameron Brannagan stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom right corner. The Rams were behind to a promotion rival after a couple of minutes.
By the eleventh minute, Derby had begun to find their feet, putting pressure on the Oxford defence, having already had five corners and Max Bird having forced James Beadle into a save. But then, they were caught on the counter and Stanley Mills was fouled on the edge of the box, just to the left of the ‘D’.
After some deliberation with Rúben Rodrigues, up stepped Cameron Brannagan again. The U’s number eight hit a beauty of a free kick into the bottom right of the goal. 2-0.
When Max Bird fouled Rodrigues in a similar position to from where Brannagan had scored his first free kick, he earned himself a booking. Fortunately, Brannagan’s shot was hard and low, held by Joe Wildsmith.
Paul Warne’s side continued to huff and puff as they looked to half the deficit. Despite a number of chances, the quality of deliveries was lacking. Considering this, Craig Forsyth’s 34th minute header hitting the top of the bar and going over was agonising.
There were two minutes of stoppage time at the end of the first half, could the Rams capitalise and get something before the break?
From the tenth and final corner of the half, the ball was whipped to the front post and flicked on by James Collins to Craig Forsyth who got a deserved goal after a relentless performance down the left-hand side. If they weren’t previously Derby County were certainly back in the game, and the momentum was with them.
Derby came out of the blocks with intent in the second half, buoyed by their goal at the perfect time. Mendez-Laing saw a shot blocked in the opening minutes, whilst there were some better signs in terms of deliveries, Tom Barkhuizen’s towards the six-yard box with just too high for James Collins.
Max Bird would see an effort sail over from around 20 yards a few minutes later, Barkhuizen having done well to avoid a challenge, and as Derby’s dominance continued to build, Tyreece John-Jules came on for James Collins, adding fresh legs and a bit more mobility just after the hour mark.
It was the Arsenal loanee, playing for possibly the final time (unless his loan can be extended) played in Tom Barkhuizen in the 66th minute. But the number seven failed to fully connect with the ball, and his shot deflected into the path of Kane Wilson, his volley from close range over the bar too. And Wilson would soon look to make amends by turning provider, drilling a ball from the right-hand side into John-Jules, who took a brilliant touch before forcing another good save from James Beadle in net, who had recently been booked for time wasting after testing the referee’s patience throughout the second half.
Struggling with the pressure they were being put under, Oxford looked to effectively “park the bus” for the final twenty minutes, with striker Mark Harris making way for defender Jordan Thorniley.
In the 75th minute, Paul Warne made a double change. Louie Sibley and Sonny Bradley came on for Craig Forsyth and Ryan Nyambe, and the shape switched to a back three of Cashin, Nelson and Bradley, Wilson and Barkhuizen wingbacks. But this change in system initially seemed to backfire. Joe Wildsmith was required to venture outside of his box to dispossess Rúben Rodrigues on a counterattack, and moments later a golden chance for James Henry to seal it for the hosts, but the half time substitute’s attempt from around 15 yards following Bennett’s cut-back would go straight at Wildsmith.
The Rams were a lot more open, maybe a little leggy, Paul Warne had two more rolls of the dice to ensure that his side got the equaliser they deserved, and who knows, perhaps a winner? On came Joe Ward, and a man who the game felt like it had been crying out for. Enter: Liam Thompson.
Derby’s number 16 would make an instant impact, but perhaps not in the way everyone expected. With his first touch he got on the end of a sumptuous cross from Eiran Cashin to head home at the back post with his first touch of the game.
They couldn’t, could they?
With just under five minutes to play, Conor Hourihane was stood over a free kick on the left, from which he put the ball into the danger area, where an unmarked Eiran Cashin would side-foot the ball in.
Derby had done it. The turnaround was complete, from the nightmare start, to the perfect end to 2023. A thrilling comeback against a promotion rival, the sort of game we fans reminisce about at the end of the season, and that could be crucial in any success this season.
The Rams remain fourth in the table, four points behind first-place Portsmouth, but with a game in hand on the leaders, and two points behind second place Bolton. Now nine unbeaten in the league, up next are Peterborough, sat in third, in another huge clash in the hunt for promotion.
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