The Rams went into the international break on a three-game unbeaten run, having defeated Nothingham Forest and then held Middlesbrough before their home draw with high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion.

There was a fair amount of negative reaction after the forgettable 0-0 bore-draw with the Seagulls last Saturday.

It was frustrating to see the players fail to carve out good chances and to press Albion into submission as the Rams had often done previously with the opposition at Pride Park Stadium matches this season - but in the context of that week in football, it wasn’t an unacceptable result.

The Rams are on a mini-run, having won at Forest will surely be one of the cornerstone wins of the season and to then negotiate a 260-mile round trip to Middlesbrough and bring back a 2-2 draw from there was another building block.

There was some fatigue evident in the Rams’ home display against Brighton last Saturday. The Seagulls topped the Championship table recently and Derby were the first team to prevent them winning away this season - so the result should be put in perspective.

It’s true that the Rams didn’t muster an on-target shot until John Brayford threw caution to the wind on 73 minutes and thumped in a drive from the right-hand edge of the penalty area that Brighton’s ‘keeper had to claw away for a corner.

Conor Sammon looked leggy and lumbering, Theo Robinson hadn’t a clue how to play on the wing and supporters queried the manager’s formation and tactics. Human dynamo Craig Bryson’s attempt moments after Brayford’s shot was the only other real scoring chance and there were some tired and sub-standard performances from Derby players.

The passing and ball distribution was mediocre and Jamie Ward’s busy spark was certainly missed. Probably, only Adam Legzdins enjoyed the game!

It was frequently laboured and unimaginative stuff to be sure, though the Rams perked up late in the game and might have actually provided a match-winning finale. I suspect on reflection that if you now ask Derby fans if they would be happy to beat Forest and then go into the international break unbeaten from the following two games, the majority would have accepted that scenario.

The Rams have proved their point in a few different ways during the week; they soaked up the early pressure at Forest and then took control of the game after Blackstock’s dismissal, showed persistence and spirit to ensure they got reward from a good performance at Boro, and stifled Brighton’s ambitions just as well as the Seagulls had suppressed Derby’s attacking plans.

The Rams haven’t shot into the top 4 of the Championship table this autumn as they did this time last season and are gathering points at a slower rate - but there’s a growing feeling that the team is now more compact and capable, more resilient with a greater sense of unity and purpose.

Fans might admit in retrospect that Derby didn’t always deserve the fine results they had early last season, with performances sometimes being rather unconvincing; this season, the team could and should have had considerably more goals and points from certain games.

Next Saturday, we will see how the fortnight’s break helps the squad to recharge its batteries when they take on the troubled but challenging relegated Blackburn Rovers outfit.

The FA’s £105m football centre at St George’s Park, Burton-on-Trent finally had its official opening on Tuesday 9th Oct with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge performing the opening ceremony.

The great and the good of the football hierarchy made their declarations about an exciting new start for the national team and now the scene is set for the staff and players to realise the seemingly intangible dream of building a high-achieving international football team.

After a stop-start 11-year saga to realise the overhaul of the national team’s facilities, the focus falls upon the culture and the national football administration.

They must pursue the objectives of bringing through generations of players and coaches that can turn England into a successful nation at major football tournaments. Not before time! Heavens - it will soon be “50 years of hurt!”

The 2014 World Cup qualifiers are of course in full swing during this international break in the League programmes and England recorded an adequate 5-0 win over San Marino at Wembley on Friday night.

A very young England side took a long while to get into their stride after the game was disrupted by a jarring collision between San Marino ‘keeper Simoncini and Theo Walcott.

It was a reckless and dangerous challenge by the goalkeeper, whose bulk flattened Walcott for many minutes; he had to be withdrawn and was hospitalised.

That sickening clash went strangely unpunished by a very lenient referee - and I found ITV pundit Roy Keane’s comments that it didn’t seem too bad a challenge just as unsavoury. Quite what the ex-United hard man (or as some would opine, ‘thug’) adds to TV punditry totally escapes me.

Elsewhere, Scotland were ambushed in Cardiff by Gareth Bale, whose ‘double’ secured a surprise win for the under-pressure Wales’ boss Chris Coleman.

Neither team really looks like travelling to the Rio final tournament on current form - and the less said about the Republic of Ireland, the better! They were belted 6-1 at home by the formidable Germans, already looking menacing.

Midweek sees a totally different challenge for England who face Poland in Warsaw; the Three Lions team will be much-changed and the result will have a significant impact on boss Roy Hodgson’s chances of leading England into the finals.

COME ON YOU LIONS!

Photo: Action Images

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