The 2011-12 Championship season looks to be shaping up well for Derby County. With nine new permanent signings, a record four straight wins and twelve points from the first five games, the Rams have certainly started the season more brightly than any pundits or fans could have predicted.
On the opening day against Birmingham City, Jason Shackell showed Derby fans just why Nigel Clough brought him to Pride Park, capping off a man-of-the-match performance with a superb goal against the Blues. Derby showed the resilience and character they had lacked for long periods of last season, digging deep to come back from a goal down to deliver what to many was a shock result. It didn’t take Derby long to level after Curtis Davies’ opener for Birmingham. Too many times last season, Derby found themselves trailing and unable to reverse the score line, but Clough’s new look side had no such problem against the ex-Premier League boys. Derby’s first seven minutes later was also scored by a central defender, with Shackell heading Derby level on 26 minutes. Three minutes before half time, Derby’s own Davies (Steven) saw them fired into a lead which they would keep until the final whistle was blown. Derby squandered a number of goal-scoring opportunities in the second half, the most promising of which fell to Jamie Ward, who couldn’t convert John Brayford’s low cross before heading Steven Davies’ flick-on against the crossbar. However two goals were enough, and a solid team performance saw Derby climb into the early promotion places.
Next up for Derby was an away trip to Watford, who before the season began were one of the few teams in the Championship to have longer odds for promotion than the Rams. It was golden boy Steven Davies again who fired the Rams to victory, this time with a superb shot on-the-turn from the edge of the Watford box. Watford could find no response, and Derby were propelled higher up the table to third after their first 1-0 victory of the season.
Four days later Derby were faced with another tricky away game, this time facing newly relegated Blackpool. Before a ball was kicked, Blackpool were favourites for the match and had good odds of promotion back to the Premier League too. However, Blackpool caused Derby ‘keeper Frank Fielding few problems in the game, and with 20 minutes remaining new signing Craig Bryson coolly slotted home after Steven Davies’ free kick was saved by Matt Gilks in the home goal. The 1,769 travelling away fans were given plenty to cheer about following Derby’s impressive win over the Tangerines at Bloomfield Road, a feat they had not accomplished since 1985. The Rams remained third in the table behind newly promoted sides Brighton and Southampton.
Returning to Pride Park, Derby were looking for four league wins in a row to begin the season, which had not been achieved for 106 years! The Rams faced a seemingly demoralised Doncaster side, who were glued to the foot of the table following three successive league defeats in the 2011-12 season. Derby showed their intentions early on, with loan signing Kevin Kilbane showing he still has it even at 34. Kilbane’s headed goal from Ben Davies’ corner after six minutes was the first of three for Nigel Clough’s men that afternoon. If Doncaster thought Derby had started the first half quickly, they had a surprise in store after half time, as Derby doubled their lead through Steven Davies just a minute into the second period. Davies had now scored three goals in Derby’s opening four games, and was showing his best form since joining the Rams in 2008. Derby’s other Davies boy, Ben, dealt the final blow to Doncaster on 62 minutes, as he beautifully curled his right-footed effort past Birmingham stopper Gary Woods. Following their emphatic victory, Derby rose to second in the table on goal difference behind the only other side in the Football League with a 100% record, Southampton.
Derby were looking to make it five wins from five with another home game, this time taking on strugglers Burnley. It was a quiet first half at Pride Park, with neither side able to break the deadlock, and Derby had only 45 minutes to see out to retain their unbeaten record into the international break. However, four minutes into the second half Charlie Austin managed to find the back of the net for Burnley, as the Derby defence looked to collapse following a fine run from Keith Treacy. It took Derby over 20 minutes to find a response, but half-time substitute Theo Robinson provided an equaliser for the Rams on 71 minutes. Robinson had been finding himself in the goals for the reserves, however his goal-scoring record for Derby’s first team since joining on loan in January has not been so impressive. The Derby faithful will be looking for Robinson to deliver more goals for the team this season, much as Charlie Austin has been doing for the visitors. Austin cut Derby’s celebrations short, as just three minutes later, he again put Burnley ahead at Pride Park. Derby could not find another equaliser, and were dumped to their first league defeat of the season in front of 22,967 hopeful Rams fans.
Derby have looked impressive so far this season earning 12 points from a possible 15, and sitting a comfortable third in the table. Nigel Clough is now taking his boys away for some warm weather training, before a challenging televised clash away to Coventry City, who have taken just two points from five games, after the international break. The Rams will be looking to put their recent defeat to Burnley behind them, and capitalise on Andy Thorn’s side’s lacklustre start to the season in front of the Sky Sports cameras on September 10th.
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