Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Here you can chat about everything and anything related to ITFC and other football issues. This forum also hosts the now Internationally famous TB.com ITFC match previews which contain insightful pre-match thoughts, previous highlights, news links relating to Town, form guides and other bits and pieces. Feel free to discuss meet ups/travel plans in here as well.

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Easy 3 Points?? (Said no one ever)

Derby Win
6
50%
Ipswich Win
3
25%
Draw
3
25%
 
Total votes: 12

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Bluemike
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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Bluemike » Wed Nov 29, 2017 5:45 pm

rossi wrote:Well the result was certainly a surprise for me, but I'm really pleased to have been proved wrong and want to say a massive 'Well done' to MM and the team.

Just need to get a bit of consistency now - will be interesting to see how we do defensively on Saturday without Chambers.
And despite BM's report and praise of our erstwhile holding midfielder, my opinions on him have not changed ;)
Gary, there is no reason why your views shouyld change, god knows many agree with you but he had a good game last night as did Connolly who was my MOTM, I am interested to know if anyone else who saw the game agreed with the players ratings, I think Herforder said he went so i would like to know if he had similar players that stood out.....

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Watership Down » Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:15 pm

marko69 wrote:Are didsys diddly bits ok for him to return tonight, Watership?

Apparently not. Didsy's diddly bits are dangling too low.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by ashfordblue » Wed Nov 29, 2017 6:26 pm

Bluemike wrote:What a fab night at Pride Park where we picked up our obligatory Three points to take full advantage of our game in hand which was so pleasing as the general consensus of opinion among Town fans was that we had no game in hand as this was one we just wouldn't win. It was a crucial game really as defeat would see us potentially Eight points off the play off places and Mid table beckoning while a win would have us still very much on the cusp of the play off race. The big surprise was the now show in the squad of Joe Garner but it sounds like he could be fit for Forest so no great worry on that one, Jordan Spence was thankfully back in at RB and Emyr Huws was making his first start of the season.

The game was barely Five minutes old when incredibly Town got themselves ahead with virtually their first real attack of the game, Derby had already had one half chance that didn't trouble our goal, Martyn Waghorn delivered one of his pinpoint corners from which Callum Connolly rose to meet it with a deft little header that crashed back off the undersdie of the bar, Town fans and players alike all rising to celebrate a goal but play continued for a second or Two before the ref signalled a goal courtesy of the goal line technology, let the wild celebrations begin, it was just the start we needed but there was still virtually the whole game to go. The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side and the fans had been quietened down which was a feat in itself. The game was being played at quite a fast pace with Town more than holding their own and looking to get forward whenever they could, Vydra was looking a threat for the rams and the Town defence had to be alert once or twice to thwart his runs. It was actually twon who werent far away from grabbing a second which would have been a fluke as ward sent over a long teasing cross which seemed to evade Scott Carson before drifting just over the bar. As you would expect derby were getting into the game and having plenty of the ball but Town were up to the task and plenty of timely tackles and blokes were seeing us stand firm, Connolly and the much maligned Skuse were having really good games and mopping up loads of loose balls, Skuse made two really good tackles when it looked like they were going to get through, Ward was also much more lively and was looking a real threat and our best outlet, Celina on the other hand was finding it tough and on more than one occasion treid to beat hios man only to be dispossessed or he was giving the ball away with a sloppy pass. Waghorn was running here there and everywhere and was keeping the Derby defence on it's toes. Tom Lawrence was starting to become more and more involved and with the clock ticking over the half hour he created their first real clear chance, sending over a nice cross from which the onrushing derby striker blazed it high over Bart's goal when he should probably have done better. Our hearts were in our mouths a few minutes later as Lawrence went crashing to the ground inside the box following a challlenge from Chambers, the ref blowing his whistle and pointing to what looked like the spot, thankfully it was for a Town freekick as the cheating little b*stard Lawrence was booked for diving, a huge sigh of relief all round. The final ten minutes of the half saw Derby in the ascendancy possession wise and looking to come forward but Town were so solid at the back and were always looking to hit them on the counter attack with Ward & Waghorn very lively. Thankfully we saw it out to HT without any major scares and we went in to the break with the precious lead intact. Town had played really well and were disciplined in defence and there was no sight of any of the howlers that have blighted us in recent games, Knudsen and Spence had had their work cut out at times and once or twice were caught out but Chambers, Skuse, Connolly and Webster had been there to avert any threat that was looming. All in all a very good half with much promise but the feelng was there was a far greater test to come.

It was a measure how well Town had defended that the restart saw David Nugent subbed off for Chris Martin, it was to be the first time the thorn in our side had failed to score against us and it has to be said I didn't really know he had been on the pitch, credit to the defence. It was Town who threatened first with Connolly again the man to have an effort blocked by Carson. Ten minutes into the half and we had Bart to thank for a brilliant reaction save, Huddlestone hitting a rasping drive that deflected off a defender before the big man clawed it away with a fantastic instinctive dive to his Right, the Town fans rose to a man to applaud a cracking save. It was a sign that derby were going for broke and chances were starting to come as the Town defence were being called upon more and more, Vydra was looking the main threat and it was he that blasted one just past the post. Downes & Sears were brought on to replace the tiring Huws and the disappointing Celina as derby continued to look for a way through but the Town defence were standing firm. The excellent Callum Connolly was replaced by young Nydam for the final quarter of the game, the on loan Midfielder receiving a standing ovation as he left the field, the big question was could we see it out. Town finally had another sight of goal as Ward tried his luck with an effort which went over the bar. Shortly after derby looked to be through but Skuse made a superb tackle right at the death to see off another attack. With the clock starting to run down Town were robbed of what looked to me like a cert penalty as waghorn was bundled over, the officials refusing to budge. Derby missed a golden chance minutes later as their best player and biggest threat Vydra surged forward being hitting a shot that just cleared the post with bart beaten, it was probably their best chance of the night and oh so close. It was nearly a case of de' Ja Vu in the dying seconds as Bloody Sears gave the ball away again to set them on the attack one final time, could this be Sheff Wed all over again, at that point I wanted to kill him but thankfully the chance that came was high and wide and away to safety, that was it, yet again we had done it at Derby and the celebrations between players and fans were long and hard.

I've read one or two comments this morning that we "rode our luck" and were under the cosh at times but make no mistake we did a hell of a lot of thing right last night, we defended superbly for the most part and cut out any serious individual errors, we played with a far greater tempo when going forward and played it on the break so well, some of our passing was very good although for me we gave it away a bit too much for a time in the second half when they were asking questions of us. You are never going to go to Derby and not come under pressure at some point, they have been on fire and ripped Middlesbrough apart on their own patch saturday so this was some result given those stats. For much of the First half we more than matched them to be honest, credit has to go to MM for getting the game plan spot on, despite a fair bit of pressure in the second half they only had Three shots on target to our Two and for me we were robbed of a penalty. there were some great performances last night, Callum Connolly was my MOTM closely followed by Skuse, Ward and Waghorn with Chambo also having his best game for some time against a very good attacking unit, Bart saved us with a couple of cracking saves when they di get an effort on target. The win was massive, if you can win here you can win anywhere, we are still very much on course for the Seventy plus points total. Keep the faith.

Bart (8) Spence (6) Chambers (7) Webster (6) Knudsen (6) Connolly (8) Skuse (8) Celina (5) Huws (7) Ward (7) Waghorn (7)

SUBS :- Sears (5) Downes (7) Nydam (6)
Excellent report BM, did Mach Polish go to the match, would like to hear his side of the game as well, anyway you braved the cold and got rewarded, I think like you Sears time at Town is in jeopardy, as you said that's twice he gave the ball away, Which could have cost us again, BUT is he being played in the wrong position out wide???, as for the result our record at Pride Park over the last 10 games is pretty impressive 7 wins 3 draws, although even I thought we would lose after the mauling they gave Boro, so it came as no shock that we got a result, its also good to see the young guns coming through and pushing for a place, Mick must rate them otherwise they wouldn't be on the bench, just hope we can sort Forest out on Saturday to keep up the good work.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Bluemike » Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:04 pm

No Ash Mach wasn't at the game last night as difficult with trains etc. I also have no interest in where Sears was played TBH as the errors he continues to make is not affected by that at all, it's pretty basic stuff passing to a team mate. The Two kids came on and reinforced the Midfield when things were getting tough as they tried to get the equaliser.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by herforder » Wed Nov 29, 2017 7:50 pm

Bluemike wrote:
rossi wrote:Well the result was certainly a surprise for me, but I'm really pleased to have been proved wrong and want to say a massive 'Well done' to MM and the team.

Just need to get a bit of consistency now - will be interesting to see how we do defensively on Saturday without Chambers.
And despite BM's report and praise of our erstwhile holding midfielder, my opinions on him have not changed ;)
Gary, there is no reason why your views shouyld change, god knows many agree with you but he had a good game last night as did Connolly who was my MOTM, I am interested to know if anyone else who saw the game agreed with the players ratings, I think Herforder said he went so i would like to know if he had similar players that stood out.....
Wouldn’t (dare!) disagree with your excellent assessment, or player ratings. But I thought the strong ‘spine’ of the team was the key to last night’s outstanding performance and result, from the quality that is Bart forward. Connolly is getting better by the match, and would be a great perm signing; I think his presence has a positive effect on Skuse who, as you commented, had an equally good night. Also, at last, saw a far more positive performance from Ward, who I had started to believe was always destined to flatter only to deceive. Much more effective yesterday. Chambo (who many were calling recently for MM to drop) and Webster far more solid in central defence. Still some concerns over both Spence and Knudsen - but overall held their own. Celina, an undoubted talent and potential match-winner, needs to improve his decision making; frustratingly gave the ball away a tad too often - no damage done and he’ll hopefully learn. Good, also to see Downes and Nydam get some time - mixing it effectively with some of Derby’s high-priced ‘stars’. Impressed, too, with Waggy as central striker - in my view the best of MM’s summer signings. Have to feel sympathy for Sears on a number of levels. He may feel that his future lies elsewhere.

It was a great night to be a proud Town supporter, and to observe some very deflated expectations among the Derby faithful! Tried not to intrude on private grief - but found I couldn’t manage it after one or two shandies!

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Bluemike » Wed Nov 29, 2017 8:11 pm

Wouldnt dare !!!!! Yeah right Herforder lol. You pretty much saw it same as me then which is refreshing as you do sometimes wonder if that is the case.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by number 9 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 11:19 pm

Thrilled to see the result! BM...that was an excellent report. I almost felt like I was there! We definitely have a very good squad; I’d like to see us playing with belief consistently. I think that’s primarily what most of us want. And I suppose I should tip my hat to MM...this time. Well done, lads! COYB!!!!

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by hallamblue » Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:36 pm

McCarthy appears to be learning doesn’t he!!

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Ricco » Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:56 pm

Cheers for the report Mike, completely forgot that this game was even happening, so nice little surprise when the result came in that's for sure

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by herforder » Thu Nov 30, 2017 2:13 pm

hallamblue wrote:McCarthy appears to be learning doesn’t he!!

New contract’s in the post - 2nd class, mind. :wink:

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Watership Down » Thu Nov 30, 2017 6:51 pm

Shanks's pony maybe. Lets give him a little longer

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Mach_Polish_Blue » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:21 pm

ashfordblue wrote: Excellent report BM, did Mach Polish go to the match, would like to hear his side of the game as well, anyway you braved the cold and got rewarded, I think like you Sears time at Town is in jeopardy, as you said that's twice he gave the ball away, Which could have cost us again, BUT is he being played in the wrong position out wide???, as for the result our record at Pride Park over the last 10 games is pretty impressive 7 wins 3 draws, although even I thought we would lose after the mauling they gave Boro, so it came as no shock that we got a result, its also good to see the young guns coming through and pushing for a place, Mick must rate them otherwise they wouldn't be on the bench, just hope we can sort Forest out on Saturday to keep up the good work.
No mate I didn't go. As Bluemike has said no trains after the game was the reason.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Mach_Polish_Blue » Thu Nov 30, 2017 9:34 pm

Bluemike wrote:What a fab night at Pride Park where we picked up our obligatory Three points to take full advantage of our game in hand which was so pleasing as the general consensus of opinion among Town fans was that we had no game in hand as this was one we just wouldn't win. It was a crucial game really as defeat would see us potentially Eight points off the play off places and Mid table beckoning while a win would have us still very much on the cusp of the play off race. The big surprise was the now show in the squad of Joe Garner but it sounds like he could be fit for Forest so no great worry on that one, Jordan Spence was thankfully back in at RB and Emyr Huws was making his first start of the season.

The game was barely Five minutes old when incredibly Town got themselves ahead with virtually their first real attack of the game, Derby had already had one half chance that didn't trouble our goal, Martyn Waghorn delivered one of his pinpoint corners from which Callum Connolly rose to meet it with a deft little header that crashed back off the undersdie of the bar, Town fans and players alike all rising to celebrate a goal but play continued for a second or Two before the ref signalled a goal courtesy of the goal line technology, let the wild celebrations begin, it was just the start we needed but there was still virtually the whole game to go. The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side and the fans had been quietened down which was a feat in itself. The game was being played at quite a fast pace with Town more than holding their own and looking to get forward whenever they could, Vydra was looking a threat for the rams and the Town defence had to be alert once or twice to thwart his runs. It was actually twon who werent far away from grabbing a second which would have been a fluke as ward sent over a long teasing cross which seemed to evade Scott Carson before drifting just over the bar. As you would expect derby were getting into the game and having plenty of the ball but Town were up to the task and plenty of timely tackles and blokes were seeing us stand firm, Connolly and the much maligned Skuse were having really good games and mopping up loads of loose balls, Skuse made two really good tackles when it looked like they were going to get through, Ward was also much more lively and was looking a real threat and our best outlet, Celina on the other hand was finding it tough and on more than one occasion treid to beat hios man only to be dispossessed or he was giving the ball away with a sloppy pass. Waghorn was running here there and everywhere and was keeping the Derby defence on it's toes. Tom Lawrence was starting to become more and more involved and with the clock ticking over the half hour he created their first real clear chance, sending over a nice cross from which the onrushing derby striker blazed it high over Bart's goal when he should probably have done better. Our hearts were in our mouths a few minutes later as Lawrence went crashing to the ground inside the box following a challlenge from Chambers, the ref blowing his whistle and pointing to what looked like the spot, thankfully it was for a Town freekick as the cheating little b*stard Lawrence was booked for diving, a huge sigh of relief all round. The final ten minutes of the half saw Derby in the ascendancy possession wise and looking to come forward but Town were so solid at the back and were always looking to hit them on the counter attack with Ward & Waghorn very lively. Thankfully we saw it out to HT without any major scares and we went in to the break with the precious lead intact. Town had played really well and were disciplined in defence and there was no sight of any of the howlers that have blighted us in recent games, Knudsen and Spence had had their work cut out at times and once or twice were caught out but Chambers, Skuse, Connolly and Webster had been there to avert any threat that was looming. All in all a very good half with much promise but the feelng was there was a far greater test to come.

It was a measure how well Town had defended that the restart saw David Nugent subbed off for Chris Martin, it was to be the first time the thorn in our side had failed to score against us and it has to be said I didn't really know he had been on the pitch, credit to the defence. It was Town who threatened first with Connolly again the man to have an effort blocked by Carson. Ten minutes into the half and we had Bart to thank for a brilliant reaction save, Huddlestone hitting a rasping drive that deflected off a defender before the big man clawed it away with a fantastic instinctive dive to his Right, the Town fans rose to a man to applaud a cracking save. It was a sign that derby were going for broke and chances were starting to come as the Town defence were being called upon more and more, Vydra was looking the main threat and it was he that blasted one just past the post. Downes & Sears were brought on to replace the tiring Huws and the disappointing Celina as derby continued to look for a way through but the Town defence were standing firm. The excellent Callum Connolly was replaced by young Nydam for the final quarter of the game, the on loan Midfielder receiving a standing ovation as he left the field, the big question was could we see it out. Town finally had another sight of goal as Ward tried his luck with an effort which went over the bar. Shortly after derby looked to be through but Skuse made a superb tackle right at the death to see off another attack. With the clock starting to run down Town were robbed of what looked to me like a cert penalty as waghorn was bundled over, the officials refusing to budge. Derby missed a golden chance minutes later as their best player and biggest threat Vydra surged forward being hitting a shot that just cleared the post with bart beaten, it was probably their best chance of the night and oh so close. It was nearly a case of de' Ja Vu in the dying seconds as Bloody Sears gave the ball away again to set them on the attack one final time, could this be Sheff Wed all over again, at that point I wanted to kill him but thankfully the chance that came was high and wide and away to safety, that was it, yet again we had done it at Derby and the celebrations between players and fans were long and hard.

I've read one or two comments this morning that we "rode our luck" and were under the cosh at times but make no mistake we did a hell of a lot of thing right last night, we defended superbly for the most part and cut out any serious individual errors, we played with a far greater tempo when going forward and played it on the break so well, some of our passing was very good although for me we gave it away a bit too much for a time in the second half when they were asking questions of us. You are never going to go to Derby and not come under pressure at some point, they have been on fire and ripped Middlesbrough apart on their own patch saturday so this was some result given those stats. For much of the First half we more than matched them to be honest, credit has to go to MM for getting the game plan spot on, despite a fair bit of pressure in the second half they only had Three shots on target to our Two and for me we were robbed of a penalty. there were some great performances last night, Callum Connolly was my MOTM closely followed by Skuse, Ward and Waghorn with Chambo also having his best game for some time against a very good attacking unit, Bart saved us with a couple of cracking saves when they di get an effort on target. The win was massive, if you can win here you can win anywhere, we are still very much on course for the Seventy plus points total. Keep the faith.

Bart (8) Spence (6) Chambers (7) Webster (6) Knudsen (6) Connolly (8) Skuse (8) Celina (5) Huws (7) Ward (7) Waghorn (7)

SUBS :- Sears (5) Downes (7) Nydam (6)
Thanks Mike for a good report.

It's been very weird feeling on the Tuesday as never a million years did I expect us to win. Expected a heavy defeat in all honesty but once again football turned out to be a strange game.

Not only win just the clean sheet which is a huge surprise given how bad our defence is and the embarrassment of riches in Derby's disposal.

Massive lift given two recent matches where we had been poor throughout at Hull and second half during the Villa match.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by herforder » Thu Nov 30, 2017 10:20 pm

Bit of a well-worn cliche, but we’re never as bad (Town), or as good (Derby), as any single performance has the ability to confirm. Little troughs of despair, balanced by peaks of high elation. Stoicism has much to commend it, and is a great anti-dote to apathy.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by number 9 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 3:57 am

herforder wrote:Bit of a well-worn cliche, but we’re never as bad (Town), or as good (Derby), as any single performance has the ability to confirm. Little troughs of despair, balanced by peaks of high elation. Stoicism has much to commend it, and is a great anti-dote to apathy.
What? Too much imagery there Herf! Either you’re really smart, or I’m really dumb. I’ve read your post several times. Maybe it’s me...prbly haha.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by marko69 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:26 pm

Yeah, it's you, 9. You live in Texas, FFS! :D

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by marko69 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:32 pm

FTR, if funds are available, MM should go for Stoicism. Quality midfielder.

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by number 9 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:14 pm

marko69 wrote:Yeah, it's you, 9. You live in Texas, FFS! :D
...and you live in Scotland! :lol:

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by herforder » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:16 pm

Eric Cantona is my hero. Remember his ‘when the seagulls follow the fishing boat’ quote? Perfectly clear what the mad fuc*er meant, inn’it? :astroll:

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by number 9 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:34 pm

herforder wrote:Eric Cantona is my hero. Remember his ‘when the seagulls follow the fishing boat’ quote? Perfectly clear what the mad fuc*er meant, inn’it? :astroll:
Lol! Well said....

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by marko69 » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:51 pm

number 9 wrote:
marko69 wrote:Yeah, it's you, 9. You live in Texas, FFS! :D
...and you live in Scotland! :lol:
Aye but I was born in this land of the insane........ you're choosing those levels of insanity! :lol:

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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by vaalae » Sun Dec 03, 2017 11:29 pm

Bluemike wrote:What a fab night at Pride Park where we picked up our obligatory Three points to take full advantage of our game in hand which was so pleasing as the general consensus of opinion among Town fans was that we had no game in hand as this was one we just wouldn't win. It was a crucial game really as defeat would see us potentially Eight points off the play off places and Mid table beckoning while a win would have us still very much on the cusp of the play off race. The big surprise was the now show in the squad of Joe Garner but it sounds like he could be fit for Forest so no great worry on that one, Jordan Spence was thankfully back in at RB and Emyr Huws was making his first start of the season.

The game was barely Five minutes old when incredibly Town got themselves ahead with virtually their first real attack of the game, Derby had already had one half chance that didn't trouble our goal, Martyn Waghorn delivered one of his pinpoint corners from which Callum Connolly rose to meet it with a deft little header that crashed back off the undersdie of the bar, Town fans and players alike all rising to celebrate a goal but play continued for a second or Two before the ref signalled a goal courtesy of the goal line technology, let the wild celebrations begin, it was just the start we needed but there was still virtually the whole game to go. The goal seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side and the fans had been quietened down which was a feat in itself. The game was being played at quite a fast pace with Town more than holding their own and looking to get forward whenever they could, Vydra was looking a threat for the rams and the Town defence had to be alert once or twice to thwart his runs. It was actually twon who werent far away from grabbing a second which would have been a fluke as ward sent over a long teasing cross which seemed to evade Scott Carson before drifting just over the bar. As you would expect derby were getting into the game and having plenty of the ball but Town were up to the task and plenty of timely tackles and blokes were seeing us stand firm, Connolly and the much maligned Skuse were having really good games and mopping up loads of loose balls, Skuse made two really good tackles when it looked like they were going to get through, Ward was also much more lively and was looking a real threat and our best outlet, Celina on the other hand was finding it tough and on more than one occasion treid to beat hios man only to be dispossessed or he was giving the ball away with a sloppy pass. Waghorn was running here there and everywhere and was keeping the Derby defence on it's toes. Tom Lawrence was starting to become more and more involved and with the clock ticking over the half hour he created their first real clear chance, sending over a nice cross from which the onrushing derby striker blazed it high over Bart's goal when he should probably have done better. Our hearts were in our mouths a few minutes later as Lawrence went crashing to the ground inside the box following a challlenge from Chambers, the ref blowing his whistle and pointing to what looked like the spot, thankfully it was for a Town freekick as the cheating little b*stard Lawrence was booked for diving, a huge sigh of relief all round. The final ten minutes of the half saw Derby in the ascendancy possession wise and looking to come forward but Town were so solid at the back and were always looking to hit them on the counter attack with Ward & Waghorn very lively. Thankfully we saw it out to HT without any major scares and we went in to the break with the precious lead intact. Town had played really well and were disciplined in defence and there was no sight of any of the howlers that have blighted us in recent games, Knudsen and Spence had had their work cut out at times and once or twice were caught out but Chambers, Skuse, Connolly and Webster had been there to avert any threat that was looming. All in all a very good half with much promise but the feelng was there was a far greater test to come.

It was a measure how well Town had defended that the restart saw David Nugent subbed off for Chris Martin, it was to be the first time the thorn in our side had failed to score against us and it has to be said I didn't really know he had been on the pitch, credit to the defence. It was Town who threatened first with Connolly again the man to have an effort blocked by Carson. Ten minutes into the half and we had Bart to thank for a brilliant reaction save, Huddlestone hitting a rasping drive that deflected off a defender before the big man clawed it away with a fantastic instinctive dive to his Right, the Town fans rose to a man to applaud a cracking save. It was a sign that derby were going for broke and chances were starting to come as the Town defence were being called upon more and more, Vydra was looking the main threat and it was he that blasted one just past the post. Downes & Sears were brought on to replace the tiring Huws and the disappointing Celina as derby continued to look for a way through but the Town defence were standing firm. The excellent Callum Connolly was replaced by young Nydam for the final quarter of the game, the on loan Midfielder receiving a standing ovation as he left the field, the big question was could we see it out. Town finally had another sight of goal as Ward tried his luck with an effort which went over the bar. Shortly after derby looked to be through but Skuse made a superb tackle right at the death to see off another attack. With the clock starting to run down Town were robbed of what looked to me like a cert penalty as waghorn was bundled over, the officials refusing to budge. Derby missed a golden chance minutes later as their best player and biggest threat Vydra surged forward being hitting a shot that just cleared the post with bart beaten, it was probably their best chance of the night and oh so close. It was nearly a case of de' Ja Vu in the dying seconds as Bloody Sears gave the ball away again to set them on the attack one final time, could this be Sheff Wed all over again, at that point I wanted to kill him but thankfully the chance that came was high and wide and away to safety, that was it, yet again we had done it at Derby and the celebrations between players and fans were long and hard.

I've read one or two comments this morning that we "rode our luck" and were under the cosh at times but make no mistake we did a hell of a lot of thing right last night, we defended superbly for the most part and cut out any serious individual errors, we played with a far greater tempo when going forward and played it on the break so well, some of our passing was very good although for me we gave it away a bit too much for a time in the second half when they were asking questions of us. You are never going to go to Derby and not come under pressure at some point, they have been on fire and ripped Middlesbrough apart on their own patch saturday so this was some result given those stats. For much of the First half we more than matched them to be honest, credit has to go to MM for getting the game plan spot on, despite a fair bit of pressure in the second half they only had Three shots on target to our Two and for me we were robbed of a penalty. there were some great performances last night, Callum Connolly was my MOTM closely followed by Skuse, Ward and Waghorn with Chambo also having his best game for some time against a very good attacking unit, Bart saved us with a couple of cracking saves when they di get an effort on target. The win was massive, if you can win here you can win anywhere, we are still very much on course for the Seventy plus points total. Keep the faith.

Bart (8) Spence (6) Chambers (7) Webster (6) Knudsen (6) Connolly (8) Skuse (8) Celina (5) Huws (7) Ward (7) Waghorn (7)

SUBS :- Sears (5) Downes (7) Nydam (6)
A few people have said it already, but thanks so much for putting the effort in and writing this up Mike. It can be hard to get a handle on what's going on with the matches (this EFL iFollow thingy helps, but the time zones don't!)

Reading this is almost like being there, thanks heaps and feel free to keep up the good work! :mrgreen: In case you think people don't read it, we do and it's much appreciated.

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Bluemike
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Re: Derby County v Ipswich Town Preview & Matchday Thread

Post by Bluemike » Mon Dec 04, 2017 12:06 am

You are welcome mate, its just my take on things but hopefully its pretty accurate, im glad some get something from it.

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