Anybody looking at the 0-0 scoreline in this morning’s paper may think that this had been a dour affair. They couldn’t be more wrong. This was a game that ebbed and flowed with both sides looking for the win. The only question on the minds of both sets of fans is, how were Derby County not out of sight by half time?

Following on from the win against Watford many were clamouring for a similarly attacking midfield to be selected, but this was never on the cards. Royce remained in goal behind a back four of Bignot, Shittu, the re-signed Davies and Rose. The midfield four was Rowlands, Bircham, Santos and Cook, with Gallen and Furlong up front.

Derby started the game like a house on fire and had forced the first corner after barely thirty seconds. Ben Dover look-a-like Inigo Idiakez took it and Birch very nearly steered it into his own net. The ball was scrambled clear only for Smith to slam in a shot that Royce needed to save. This was very much a taste of things to come in the first half as Derby forced a succession of corners and freekicks for the lethal right foot of Idiakez.

Rangers were struggling to get hold of the ball in midfield and Derby were running the show. There attacking line up meant that there seemed to be players breaking forward from all over the pitch and things were becoming stretched. Tudgay and Smith were hugging their touchline and allowing Bisgaard and Bolder to break forward to support Rasiak at will. Idiakez was sitting deep and pulling the strings like Derby’s answer to Gepetto.

Royce must have felt like General Custer at the back as wave after wave of unrelenting Derby attacks came at him. Idiakez went close with a devilish freekick from the left side before Marcus Tudgay sent a looping flick at goal that Royce turned over the top. Up to this point Rangers’ sight of the Derby penalty area had been fleeting but they then came within a whisker of grabbing an unlikely lead.

Marcus Bignot broke forward and delivered a cross to the far post where Furs was waiting to nod the ball back across the six yard box. His strike partner Gallen was stealing in and flew into a challenge with Camp. It seemed that both of them missed the ball by millimetres as it went behind for a goal kick. It was a welcome reminder to Derby that there were two teams on the pitch as it hadn’t seemed to be the case to this point.

Big Bosnian Mo Konjic, fresh from having his nose rearranged for the second time this week, hammered a wild shot over the bar into the 1300 Rangers fans massed behind the goal. At the other end Andy Davies headed a Rowlands freekick wide after managing to work a position at the near post.

Olly decided that something needed to be changed as the Derby midfield were overrunning his team. He switched to a five man midfield and detailed Rowly and Gallen to get in front of Idiakez and try and deny him any time on the ball. It seemed to be working for a time but we then found that when we did win it back Furlong was isolated up front as everyone else had been forced so deep. It was swings and roundabouts in truth.

As the half was coming to a close Idiakez began showing off his superb ability on the freekicks. The first one from almost on the Derby left sideline was headed for the top corner before Royce got up brilliantly to palm it away. Minutes later he was at it again after Cook was harshly adjudged to have fouled an onrushing Derby attacker. He was booked for his indiscretion. The Spaniard sent in a superb effort that had beaten Royce all ends up only to see it clip the top of the bar. Burley would say later that this was the 26^th time they had hit the woodwork this season!

With almost the final action of the half Shittu cleared the ball brilliantly from right under his own bar with the Pole Rasiak bearing down on him. Things needed to be sorted during the break as we had to find a way of closing down the Derby threat whilst managing to get some support up to Furlong.

The second half didn’t start too promisingly as Rangers allowed Jeff Kenna to run fully fifty yards before firing a shot wide of goal. Soon after Royce was again into the action as he plunged low to keep out a Rasiak effort. With little warning Rangers suddenly started to play and it seemed to take derby by surprise. It was as if they were just expecting another 45 minutes of constant pressure but Rangers weren’t having it.

Gallen controlled a ball, admittedly with his hands, thirty yards from goal and sent in a fizzing half volley which had Camp scrambling. The ball whizzed wide of Camp’s right hand post with the former R’s man struggling to get there. It was then back to the other end and yet another Idiakez freekick. This one though hit the side netting at Royce’s near post without troubling the on loan Charlton man.

There was then a chance for Rangers to show their own prowess on the freekicks, this one though was more brute force than the guile of the Idiakez. The foul was awarded twenty five yards out and referee Friend moved the wall back a very skinny ten yards. Gallen touched the ball into the path of Furlong and he smashed a ferocious effort at goal that Camp had to beat away. The ball came back to Rose but he couldn’t get his balance and the danger was cleared.

Rose did much better minutes later though when he ran onto a beautiful through ball from Cook and got to the by-line. His cross was a testing one and Camp flapped at it and was fortunate to see the ball fall into the path of Makin rather than Furlong. Makin hacked the ball clear and for the first time you could see that The Rams were rattled. Suddenly things were not going there way and Olly switched back to a 4-4-2 to try and press home the advantage.

Cook was getting into his stride having turned in a far more disciplined performance in front of Rose than we are used to. Certain sections of the crowd don’t want to see wingers do anything other than take people on but they have to understand that on a night like this against a team with so many attacking options that discretion is sometimes the better part of valour. He sent in a wicked ball that evaded Camp and just evaded Gallen at the far post and moments later he and Gallen were linking to create another great chance.

After he and Rose had worked their way up the left Cook laid a simple ball into the path of Gallen. The angle looked to be against him as he was fifteen yards from the by-line to the left hand side of the area but he send in a delicate curling shit that had Camp beaten. The ball drifted agonisingly wide of the far post with Furlong also inches away from connecting to steer home.

Derby came back into the game in the closing stages and twice came close to grabbing a late winner. Firstly Derby won a corner on the right and yet another excellent ball from Idiakez was met by Rasiak. His header seemed to drift wide yet referee Friend somehow managed to see a deflection mush to the annoyance of the Rangers rearguard. From the next delivery the ball was shepherded behind by Rose and as he did so he went down off the pitch. With the Leeds debacle clearly fresh in his memory he hauled himself up before collapsing again, this time on the field of play! The Derby fans went nuts as they though he was cheating, it just seemed like a sensible thinking to me!

Rangers still had one more chance though and it fell to Georges Santos. A quick break saw the ball being fed in from the right and it was rolled into the path of Santos and seemed ideal to move on one more to Ainsworth who was in acres on the right. Glory got the better of Georges though and he shanked a horrendous effort out for a throw!

Derby won yet another freekick for Idiakez to take and once again he forced a save from Royce. His ball in seemed to be dipping over Royce’s head into the top corner before a hand snaked up to divert it away. This was Royce’s fifth quality save of the night and when you add on the number of crosses he claimed, at least ten, this was a fantastic nights work for our current number one.

At the whistle it was clear to see which team were happier with the point. As the Derby players trudged off the R’s players were running to celebrate with the fans behind Lee Camp’s goal. Furs and Camp swapped shirts at the end and every Rangers player made a point of shaking his hand as he left the field, it was clear that they all appreciate his massive contribution to our current position.

This was a solid if unspectacular showing from Rangers. Royce and the back four were excellent and kept things as tight as they could. Davies and Shittu were heading crosses away for fun and if they couldn’t reach it then Royce came and got it. The rest of the team was not as fluent but they did their job in defending from the front and trying to pinch something on the break

simon@qprnet.com

Simon Royce. This was a stunning display from a keeper who has now managed five clean sheets in nine games, including three on the bounce away from home. We must sign him; it is as simple as that.