Derby County could reflect on a job well done against Millwall last Saturday; they now had a home game with Barnsley to negotiate before tough fixtures against the Foxes and the Saints.

After a throwaway tabloid story linking Ram manager Nigel Clough with a return to Nothingham Forest, midfielder Ben Davies joined in the commentary on Nigel Clough’s unresolved contract situation.

Ben urged the club’s owners to make progress to secure Clough’s services and resolve his contract situation, saying that both players and fanbase wanted to see this happen. Perhaps we can expect more stories until the manager’s future is settled.

Not everything has gone right for Clough; results until this season have been disappointing and Derby has flirted too closely to relegation. However, he has delivered the initial targets that GSE set for him - to slash the wage bill whilst sustaining the club’s Championship status. Rivals, including those in Nothingham and Leicester, have succumbed to relegation before recovering.

With the replacement of overpaid under-achievers in the team with committed, hungry players, the current team ethic and togetherness has emerged. The Academy is producing tangible results. Derby will not be world-beaters without further squad investment but there are signs that the inconsistent and inadequate displays of past seasons could be consigned to forgettable memories.

Clough can now take the credit for bringing the club through a difficult period of austerity whilst building a platform for progress. If the owners are (as they frequently repeat) committed to Clough and on building a strong and successful club, they should end unnecessary speculation and worry about impending instability by tying the manager and his staff to longer contracts.

As the season takes shape and rivals struggle, the speculation will increase if the issue of Clough’s longevity is not clarified and chairmen elsewhere could take an interest in encouraging Nigel to replicate his steady work at their club - not a scenario that Mr Glick would relish or readily answer to the fans, if the Rams’ good start to 2011-12 was to unravel in managerial upheaval.

With the mantra of stability repeated regularly and Mr Glick backing Clough with ‘he’s our man’ declarations, Derby might take a leaf from Brighton & Hove Albion’s book; they’ve just secured manager Gus Poyet on a new 5-year deal. Poyet has taken the Seagulls from 20th in League One to the top of the Championship in two years. What’s the hold-up about Clough’s contract?

The Rams’ home game with Barnsley on Tuesday gave Clough the chance to underline his credentials and take his new-look team to the top of the Championship table. Derby stood a point behind top club Southampton and level on 18 points with second-placed Middlesbrough.

With the Saints and Boro not playing until Wednesday evening, the Rams could capture the Football League leadership, at least for a day! Clough restored Frank Fielding in goal for his only team change from the team that defeated Millwall last Saturday.

Rams’ man-mountain Miles Addison, on loan at Barnsley, was not eligible to play against Derby under the terms of the deal but full-back Jay McEveley played and my recall of him is that as an unexceptional defender during his Derby days, I’m always glad to see him in the opposing team.

Barnsley has proved a team that the Rams have struggled to beat in recent years; the same was true of Doncaster, Watford and Millwall until this season. The Tykes are no easier to beat this time around, being undefeated away so far this season and so it proved on Tuesday.

Barnsley - resilient, organised and compact - was also beset by injuries, making two enforced substitutions in the first half. It didn’t stop the Tykes contributing well to and excellent match. Derby played well throughout and put on an especially entertaining in the second half; it was exhilarating, attacking fayre and the best match at Pride Park Stadium this season.

Derby lost full-back Gareth Roberts to injury after only 13 minutes and the oft-mentioned lack of squad depth came to mind again. With no fit left-backs at the club, Russell Anderson had to deputise there. Nigel Clough had to wait on the fitness of Roberts and Kilbane the Saturday game at Leicester.

Keeper Luke Steel was heroic for the Tykes but they also created some good opportunities for themselves. Barnsley grabbed a first-half lead when the Ram’s defence pondered for a moment. The ball wasn’t dealt with promptly as Russell Anderson dithered and Vaz Te got the better of him. It was quickly switched to Jason Butterfield, who promptly rapped home a close range shot.

Though the Rams went in at half-time a goal down, there was no faulting their effort and enterprise. The 23,400 crowd had also responded well to encourage Derby’s unrelenting efforts to retrieve and secure the game in a thrilling second half.

Barnsley played well and fielded some talented young players but the Rams should have turned such a good performance into a solid victory. Derby created enough chances to win two or three games - 26 efforts on goal and 13 corners - but scored only one goal. More clinical finishing would have given the busy Luke Steel in the Barnsley goal no chance of keeping the score down.

Despite a wholehearted performance and roaring comeback which delighted Derby’s fans, the statistics may also re-ignite criticism of the club in that a prolific goalscorer was promised but not delivered by the club in summer. A marksman will often turn draws like this into three points.

Certainly Ben Davies, who won the penalty from which Derby levelled the game after an hour, did produce some delicious deliveries during the night that a proven striker would have relished. Ben has not always demonstrated a Beckham-like precision from dead balls since joining Derby from Notts County but his service to the forwards on Tuesday was often of a very high quality.

Steve Davies netted the penalty for the equaliser, went close with other close efforts and at the death he missed a great chance to head a dramatic winner. Jason Shackell struck the bar with a header and rammed another one close too, as Steel proved equal to many goal-bound strikes.

It goes without saying that youngsters Hendrick and O’Brien continue to impress and Jamie Ward was tenacious and irrepressible, a constant probing threat to a determined Barnsley back-line all night. Bryson the Dyson hoovered up and down the park as ever in his non-stop manner and Derby’s work-rate, spirit and style made for a breathless, thrilling contest.

A 1-1 score draw against Barnsley doesn’t sound riveting and the result denied the Rams top spot - but it was a tremendous match and a thoroughly enjoyable advert for the best in Championship football.

Results were kind to Derby on the night as West Ham and Brighton both lost at home - so Derby were equal on 19 points with leaders Southampton, who stayed top on goal difference.

Undefeated Middlesbrough joined the Saints and the Rams on 19 points after a 0-0 draw with the Foxes at the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday night whilst Southampton themselves were beaten 2-1 at Cardiff.

Despite the draw, Derby can go to Leicester on Saturday in good heart and fans will have come away from the Barnsley match hoping that the team could sustain their form, to give the Foxes the kind of tough contest meted out to Forest a couple of weeks ago.

The Rams’ reserves maintained their Central League table-topping form with a 3-2 win at Burton Albion. Chris Riggott played for an hour to continue his comeback trail and Cywka, Maguire and Croft saw some action. Derby fielded a trialist, Matthew Saunders, 22, who is a left-sided midfielder released by Fulham in the summer - and it was Saunders who headed Derby into an early lead. Witham scored soon after and Chris Maguire struck Derby’s third goal.

Tom Naylor, the young Mansfield Town defender who has trialled with the Rams’ reserves recently looks set for a move to Derby, initially on loan. He was Player of the Year last season when on loan at Belper Town, and though Naylor the former Nailer has been sent off twice in three appearances this season the Stags and the Rams are in talks about the player.

Frank Fielding did not make the cut for the England squad to face Montenegro in the Euro qualifier this coming week; Fabio Capello selected his three other keepers this time around.

Kevin Kilbane has been selected for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2012 squad to play Armenia and Andorra next month and Jamie Ward has been called up to the Northern Ireland squad. Jeff Hendrick has been called up to the Republic of Ireland’s Under-21 squad for their Euro qualifier against Liechtenstein on October 11th; Mark O’Brien is on standby for the squad too.

Academy striker Mason Bennett has again been called up to the England Under-16 squad. Young England plays Northern Ireland to contest the victory Shield on 12th October - as the match is to be played at Chesterfield’s b2Net Stadium and the England boys are training at DCFC’s Moor Farm complex, so Bennett could enjoy plenty of local support.

The Derby youngsters had excellent local support on Saturday for their home game with Sheffield United. It was played at Pride Park Stadium, the club having encouraged Rams fans to come and see the Academy boys with the 11.00 am kick-off preceding the main football of the day. The fans responded with an attendance exceeding 1,000.

The Rams lost 4-3 in an entertaining contest against an accomplished Blades side. Mason Bennett put Derby ahead but Sheffield struck twice to lead at half time. Kwame Thomas made it 2-2 soon after the break but the Blades - for whom Joe Ironside completed a hat-trick - finished strongly. Callum Ball made it 4-3 from the penalty spot late on but Sheffield deserved their win.

In the serious business of the npower Championship, big-spending Leicester City entertained the Rams on Saturday in the televised Midlands’ ‘derby’. Nigel Clough named an unchanged team as Gareth Roberts was passed fit, and Kevin Kilbane was also back ready for action as a substitute. Oddly, neither Chris Maguire nor Tomasz Cywka was selected as a Derby substitute, with only American rookie Conor Doyle visible as an attacking option.

The Foxes’ well-travelled boss Sven Goran Eriksson has been backed heavily by his club’s Thai owners but they stood considerably behind Derby in the Championship table after a slow start to their season. Leicester’s form was improving but they still needed to beat Derby to move into the top 10 of the table.

Ex-Rams Player of the Year Steve Howard was on Leicester’s bench but ex-Derby skipper Matt Oakley was absent, as he has gone out on loan to League One side Exeter City for a month. Perhaps the Grecians are more willing to pay loan fees and wages than Derby?

Derby would retain third place in the table at kick-off regardless of their fate at the King Power Stadium, as the earlier results went in their favour. Though Southampton strode off at the top with a 4-0 win over Watford, Middlesbrough and West Ham were involved in drawn games and Brighton lost at Ipswich.

The game at Leicester was played in the balmy sunshine of England’s welcome Indian summer. It had a brisk opening phase though neither side managed to trouble the opposing goalkeeper in the opening quarter. Leicester got the upper hand however with 20 minutes gone, as David Nugent slipped the Rams’ defence to beat Frank Fielding and give the Foxes a 1-0 lead.

Derby strived to contain the Foxes and the Rams’ attackers could not impose themselves on the game in the opening half. Robinson, isolated for the most part, missed an opening on 40 minutes when he failed to connect with a fine Ben Davies cross.

Nugent had the ball in Derby’s net again just before the break - but his strike was ruled out for handball. A minute later however, Darius Vassell struck a second goal for the Foxes after he pounced on a Neil Danns shot that rebounded off the post. A 2-0 lead for Leicester at the break reflected the Foxes’ dominance and the ineffectiveness of Derby’s forward line.

The Rams needed to improve their attacking momentum if they were to retrieve the game. Craig Bryson registered Derby’s first shot on target after 51 minutes, which did not unduly trouble Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester goal.

Jamie Ward made some headway with his willingness to run and take on the Foxes’ defence as Derby finally enjoyed a good spell on the hour mark. However, with limited attacking experience on call from Derby’s substitute bench. Lee Croft replaced the out-of-sorts Steve Davies with 20 minutes to go. In contrast to the Barnsley game it was a barren afternoon for the Rams’ forwards.

The Foxes’ attack didn’t fizz and fire much until late in the second half but their superior attacking strength had built the platform in the first period. Leicester could afford to bring on Steve Howard as a substitute late on to help them to run out the game. Derby now looked tired and ragged and Howard soon forced a late save from Rams’ keeper Fielding. How Clough needs such a player!

From the resultant corner, Leicester made it 3-0 as their 19-year old German-Ghanaian Academy graduate Jeffrey Schluup slammed in a shot that went in off the bar. Straight away, Lloyd Dyer, fed by the bustling Steve Howard, nipped in to score a fourth for the Foxes that Frank Fielding might have done rather better with. The comprehensive win put Leicester 8th in the League.

The television audience had not seen the Rams at their best as Leicester made their strength in depth count. The 1,300 travelling Derby fans among the 22,500 attendance went home with little to cheer beyond retaining their superior League position over their Midlands’ rivals.

The chances wasted against Barnsley through a lack of finishing quality cost Derby two valuable points though there’s no denying that the entertainment on Tuesday was excellent. In contrast, a heavy defeat against a stronger Foxes squad exposed Derby’s weaknesses in other ways.

As Leicester begin to find form after their summer spending spree, Derby were left to reflect on their need for more fire-power and attacking strength to make more impression in difficult games. The absence of Maguire or Cywka from the 16 on duty at Leicester on Saturday limited Derby’s options was a selection mistake by the manager and hopefully, Nathan Tyson will be in the reckoning after the international break.

Rams fans can’t complain about their team’s showing so far; Derby has roared off the blocks to pick up almost 2 points per game - but neither will supporters delude themselves into expecting the current squad to sustain their current position throughout the season without strengthening.

There’s the fear among fans that without decisive action to strengthen, Derby’s promotion chances may soon disappear ‘down the dustpipe’ as more accomplished squads last the course better. Leicester have spent in the order of £12m recently and have yet to make the top six this season - but we all know that it’s what the table looks like at the end of April 2012 that will really matter.

Stronger squads like Burnley and Leicester have exposed Derby’s lack of creative and attacking power and their inexperience in other areas. West Ham, Cardiff, Boro, and Ipswich have their ambitions focussed on a return to the top flight - Leicester is poised to join the pack.

The Saints and Brighton have been surprise packages so far and Cardiff, Blackpool, Leeds, Hull and Brum are gaining momentum. There’s a dozen clubs as well as the Rams chasing the three glory places - so how badly does Derby want it? If we don’t speculate, we might well disintegrate!

Perhaps Messrs Clough and Glick will use the opportunity of the international break to make early signings in required areas. I’m hopeful that they will adjudge that the club’s good start which gave the club a ‘cause for the pause’ in recruitment should now be built upon. It is hoped that the club won’t squander this long-awaited chance to make real progress.

Mr Glick doesn’t need to hand £12m over to Nigel Clough or remind fans again about financial prudence - but he does need to recognise and act on the squad’s shortcomings to keep Derby in the frame. Derby County needs to respond on and off the pitch to build on early achievements.

Steve McLaren has proved less patient than Rams’ boss Nigel Clough regarding his club’s financial policies - the Forest boss resigned after only 3 months in the job after allegedly being refused loan signings. Forest lost at home to Brum and the City Ground went into crisis (again!) as both McLaren and chairman Nigel Doughty decided to resign. Quelle dommage!

Who will be the Trees' next boss? Will the ‘Nigel to Nothingham’ stories resurface? Forest are in the bottom 4 but the top half of the Championship table has compressed considerably over the last two weeks with 6 points now covering the top 10 places. With 10 games gone, the Rams remain in the top three and the latest international break gives the squad a well-deserved breather.

Derby will want to get the 4-0 Foxes’ defeat out of their system so the next Championship action - a home game with leaders Southampton in a fortnight - gives Derby an interesting opportunity to reinforce their promotion credentials. Will Clough’s resources be reinforced beforehand?

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RamsWeek a year ago in Week 40 recorded how Derby’s sudden upturn in form was maintained.

The Rams had found ‘the key to the highway’ and climbed the Championship table with an impressive 3-1 win over Middlesbrough at Pride Park Stadium and they then achieved an encouraging 0-0 draw at Swansea City.

Kris Commons struck two superb goals against Boro; Shefki Kuqi provided the required physical presence up front, Bueno tormented the opposition and the emerging John Brayford put in an inspired display at centre-half. Shaun Barker had scored Derby’s equaliser after Boro had taken an early lead.

Derby took young Sunderland striker Ryan Noble (who?) on loan and Dean Leacock was ruled out for a month with another injury. Robbie Savage hoped that new Wales coach Bryan Flynn would recall him to the international scene. Savage failed, and so did Flynn!

Leicester City sacked manager Paulo Souza and Manchester City weren’t the least bit bothered about reporting a loss of £121m in their annual accounts.

Photo: Action Images

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