An early start, travel with trepidation, it’s not even ten o’clock as we inch past the already queuing traffic turning off The Brian Clough Way into Pride Park.

We go past. A pit stop at the Exeter Arms, bacon butties dripping in fat, washed down with Dark Drake, determined that no matter what we start the day right.

Right about Eleven, time not pints, team news, for the Rams Darren Bent is back.

Forest unchanged, we wonder about the Manager Of The Month curse only slightly offset by the possibility of a similar affliction for the Player Of The Month award.

iPro, black and white flags for everyone, a sea of monochrome rolls over the stadium as the teams emerge.

As a player what would that do to you?

Game underway, the Tricky Trees attack from the off. We stare, has Henri Lansbury had his hair cut? No he’s not there, a late change we guess from the pub to the pitch. Matt Mills has the Captain’s armband. With Lansbury gone our odds of keeping a full team must improve.

In front of us, Bradley Johnson has the ball, he’s on the touchline, Ben Osborn slides in then scissors the Derby players leg. It’s mean and nasty, it’s a tackle that can cause serious injury. Johnson is crumpled in a heap, he expresses his anger, grabbing Osborn’s shirt.

And.

And then we have the triple roll, the Forest player’s hands clutching his face, complete farce, so normally associated with the missing presumed injured Lansbury.

A melee, pushing and shoving, ensues and the referee cautions Johnson first and as we bray “Off, Off, Off” Osborn. Two yellows became four on the advice of the Linesman, Pajtim Kasami and Bent for their part in the scrum.

Predictably, the play-acting Derby born and one time season ticket holder, Osborn was roundly booed on every touch during the remaining 90 minutes. Osborn would however Tweet his apologies for his actions after the match, explaining he was carried away with the occasion. Some credit is due there I feel. Maybe Lansbury might learn from that in the future.

The booking did though calm Johnson down and his normal now appreciated high octane performance was throttled back.

Not so Bent who gave his all in a 50/50 challenge with Eric Lichaj, the resulting free kick to the visitors earned Bent a talking to but no second yellow card.

A corner, Tom Ince takes, near post, Richard Keogh blocked, Johnny Russell flicks on and then the ball is in the back of the net off a Forest head. We can’t quite believe it.

We look to the referee, the Linesman, the ball. It’s still in the back of the net. We explode with belated emotion. The big screen shows us it again, and again, and then a shot of Nicklas Bendtner. Clearly there’s something rotten in the State of Denmark but at least we didn’t sign him.

Trailing, the Reds pushed further forward and we were lucky as Osborn and Kasami got in each others way in the Derby box and Matt Cash’s shot was tame allowing Scott Carson to save at his post.

Second Half and Carson again had to be sharp to save at his post, this time the shot had a lot more power.

Generally though our back four was resilient and in control Alex Pearce an immense rock like character whose partnership with Richard Keogh just gets better and better. Both full backs played their part also and the midfield and defence seamlessly integrated and covered.

Chris Baird at right full back played the pass of the match, a long straight inch perfect ball inside the left sided Forest defender an Ince ran on to it perfectly. Great close control and Ince despite being surrounded by three, looped the ball across the face of the goal and past keeper Vladimir Stojkovic to double our lead.

It was turning into a good day.

It got even better ten minutes later when clever interpassing from Will Hughes created a chance for Russell, Stojkovic could only block the shot into the patch of the onrushing Hughes and we were three goals up.

We wanted four. We nearly got it, Ince firing a shot just wide of the post.

All credit to the visitors who continued to try to get back into the game, the addition of Hildeberto Pereira on loan from Benfica the one bright spark for the Reds as he ran and ran with the ball and created opportunities. We were thankful he hadn’t been chosen to start. Very thankful.

The final whistle, the applause, the smiles, the Brian Clough Trophy lifted by our Captain. And it was barely two o’clock, plenty of time to celebrate then.

We leave Pride Park wondering why we were apprehensive beforehand, it’s another small step up the table, another small step to believing, another small thank you we owe.

A thank you to the players, to our Manager Steve McClaren and to our owner Mel Morris.

Thank you, Gentlemen, all.

Match Highlights:

Post Match Reaction — Gaffer & Players

COYR!!

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls