File this one under; ‘Proof that football isn’t played on paper.’ The Rams had the shortest odds of all of the sides in all four divisions on various betting coupons, odds-on to brush aside the Lions and move within two points of automatic promotion.

Fair enough, against a side with just one away win all season and having spanked them 5-1 in their own, horrible back-yard. Surely a convincing home win? Not so, as somehow, in some fittingly nasty, untidy way, the Lions smuggled all three points back to the Den.

In fairness, I myself must shoulder a considerable amount of the blame, for I broke with all of my superstitions and had a wager on Bryson to score first in a home-win (That’s an awful lot of betting references…please gamble responsibly!).

Indeed, the Scot was back in the starting eleven, as was Bamford and Sammon who was starting only his second game of the season in place of the suspended Martin. Russell and Eustace were the others to drop out, with McClaren giving the same midfield three that were so poor against Leicester another chance to impress.

The opening exchanges seemed to suggest that the gaffer and all of the bookmakers were to be proved correct, as our one-touch, quick tempo game threatened to blow Millwall away. Bryson was finding pockets of space at will, with the Rams zipping it around from the off.

A Bryson free-kick saw Bamford head just wide, before Dawkins cut inside and curled a shot over. The visitors couldn’t get out of their own half, with our midfield running the show. An early goal, you felt, could set the tone for more to follow.

All eyes were on Sammon, who was arguably in the last-chance saloon in as far as trying to convince Steve not to offload in the summer. His movement seemed good in the early-going and he should have given the Rams the lead. Bamford cleverly knocked the ball down to the Irishman, who feebly shot at the on-rushing Forde, who was able to smother.

What was clear was the time-wasting tactics that everyone’s favourite managerial clown Ian Holloway had told his troops to employ. From the off, Forde was taking forever in putting the ball back into play, so much so that I’m sure I saw someone nip to Subway and return to their seat during a goal-kick…

What was also clear was that Millwall didn’t possess the same cutting-edge as many of the visitors to the iPro this season. Time and again, nothing was sticking with the front two, with long, aimless balls the order of the day. This said, we were almost undone following man-mountain Shittu’s long punt forwards which found Morison, who knocked down for Upson to fire wide.

Bryson screwed wide at the other end but annoyingly the tempo seemed to have disappeared from our play. Despite being dominant, too many moves were breaking down in the final third with Wisdom and Forsyth guilty of getting into good areas but failing to deliver quality.

Also annoyingly was the fact that our previous habit of not looking at all threatening from corners seemed to have returned, with too many balls easily collected by Forde.

With the crowd falling flat, we needed a spark, something that Dawkins looked to provide with some typical, lung-bursting runs. Hughes was also looking back to his best, showing the tenacity which many people don’t associate with his game.

Too often though, the final ball was wasteful. Bamford shot closer to me in the South Stand than the goal but clear-cut chances had suddenly dried-up, our slow pace playing into the hands of a Millwall side that you couldn’t envisage scoring in a brothel with a grand in their pockets.

As half-time arrived; I couldn’t see anything but an improved second-half that would surely provide three points. What was a little surprising was that McClaren resisted the temptation to throw one, or both of Russell and Ward into the action at the break.

However, the decision looked justified as the Rams began the second half as brightly as the first and really should have taken the lead. Dawkins was again the man as first he cut inside his man and shot low at Forde’s near-post, with Sammon better placed.

The best chance came soon after, after Hughes won possession and fed the winger again. Running at pace, Dawkins played an expert one-two with Sammon and drove into the box, before hitting a left-footed shot again straight at the advancing Forde. Two good opportunities gone but surely more would follow.

Millwall seemed to sense this and Forde was again soon agonizingly using up much more than his allotted six-seconds (A stupid rule anyhow - when do we ever see it upheld?).

The referee though was in fairness having a good game, in stark contrast to the idiot in charge last weekend, content to let the game go and waving play on where many others would have blown.

Fluency though was not something that the Rams had in abundance, with the game soon settling into a similar pattern to the first-half. Seeing plenty of the ball, the game was crying out for an injection of pace or tempo, such as that provided by Dawkins in the opening minutes of the half. Bamford was struggling wide-right and it came as no surprise to see Russell and Ward stripped and ready.

What did come as a huge surprise was when the visitors somehow took the lead, with a goal which was as pleasant on the eye as Susan Boyle in her smalls.

A needless free-kick was conceded by Keogh towards the left-wing and with the Rams expecting a ball into the box, we switched off. The ball was instead knocked down the line to Martin who had lost Bamford and then hung up a hopeful cross. A ball that should have been meat and drink to Grant, instead left the stopper flapping horribly, akin to someone trying to flag down the number 30. Morison gleefully stole in unmarked behind to nod home and somehow we were behind.

Somehow, Dawkins was then taken off, along with Hendrick as we immediately got the subs on and went 4-4-2. The move almost bore immediate fruit with Wisdom’s low cross just evading Sammon, with Forde then doing well to bravely smother at the feet of Bryson, taking one in the chest for his trouble.

A genuine injury stoppage then, which cannot be said for the majority of what was to follow, with quite frankly, the most consistent and irritating time-wasting I have ever witnessed.

Time and again as the ball went dead, a player in blue would fall to the turf, claiming anything from cramp to a sprained fingernail. We needed a goal to stop the theatrics, but for all our huffing and puffing, the final ball was still elusive.

Instead it was Millwall who could and should have scored a less than deserved second to put the game to bed. A woeful back pass from Buxton set Morison clear. In the box, the striker picked his spot but Grant was equal to it, producing a fine, one-handed save to keep us in the game.

With the crowd wanting more urgency, the Rams did their best to provide it, introducing Bennett for a cameo, in place of Sammon, who had done little to take his big chance.

Time was ticking as the skipper went close, exchanging headers with Bryson following a corner before heading just wide of the far stick. You just felt though that it was to be one of those days, as numerous balls were headed or smashed away.

With 90 minutes nearly up, yet another Millwall player dropped to the deck, off the pitch. In what was a disgusting display of gamesmanship, Malone, then rolled back onto the right side of the white-line in order to stifle the game further. The referee had has backed turned so saw little to not allow him to receive treatment, although the East Stand made him very much aware of what they thought of him. Another frustrating footnote, to what had become a highly frustrating afternoon.

The official though cemented his good game by adding on seven additional minutes. Despite this though, we wouldn’t have scored if we’d have played till Bolton arrived on Tuesday night.

With Keogh sent up-field, making the formation 2-3-5 (might try that one on Football Manager later), we pushed for a deserved point but it was just one of those days.

In the seventh minute of allotted time, we won a free-kick in a position very similar to that which snatched the points against Yeovil. This time, Ward produced the quality and the skipper bulleted a header toward goal. With me out of my seat, expecting the net to bulge, I saw the ball heading towards a small boy sat in the North Stand. One of those days it was…

Full-time and a very odd feeling.

Yes, we were poor at times but still deserving of a point. The simpleness of the goal though, coupled with our lack of cutting edge, gave me cause for concern. Having a game on Tuesday however will hopefully spark a backlash from our players, although Bolton will certainly be no pushovers, fresh from their 5-1 win over Leeds.

At the conclusion of the match, I saw Holloway, decked in attire similar to that of a funeral director saluting his troops. With that image in mind, a question loomed; Are our chances of automatic promotion now dead and buried?

We Said / They Said:

We said - Derby Head Coach Steve McClaren:

“It was a frustrating afternoon for us. We’re very disappointed and for the first time I can remember we were poor at home. I hoped we would improve after half-time but it didn’t really happen.We had no quality in the final third and I think if we were playing until Monday we wouldn’t have scored.”

“We controlled the game but the final third is where it really matters and we can’t make any excuses.”

They Said — Millwall Manager Ian Holloway:

"I want us to grow in belief and now we have got 12 cup finals left and I want to get promoted because I don't like relegation battles. I've got two of my back four on the bus who won't play on Tuesday but I'm being criticised for them being on the floor.”

"What on earth can I do about that if they've been kicked yet some of the fans said I was telling them them to lie down. Never in a million years would I encourage anybody to be anything other than a brilliant professional and work hard and be honest and true.

WE DON’T BELIEVE YOU IAN!!

Weston’s Player Ratings:

Lee Grant - 5:Disappointing game, kicking was poor and badly at fault for the goal. Made good save to stop it getting worse though.

Craig Forsyth - 6: Looked ok, still needs work on the final ball.

Andre Wisdom - 6: Very solid, again needs to do better in the final third.

Jake Buxton - 6: Once again won the vast majority of his duels but one dreadful backpass almost cost us a second.

Richard Keogh — 7: Good game for the skipper although I’d have scored the chance in the last knockings.

Jeff Hendrick - 6: Really needs to start tacking games by the scruff of the neck more.

Craig Bryson - 6: Buzzed around as per but didn’t give him the ball enough. Also can’t give him a higher rating due to him not winning me my bet!!

Will Hughes — Weston’s Star Man 8: Seems to have found his second wind as the season nears its end. Passed well, won some good tussles in the midfield and seems to have his flair back.

Simon Dawkins - 7: Another bright display, looked the man most likely to unlock the door. Puzzling to see him subbed off.

Patrick Bamford - 5: Very lucky to complete 90 mins.

Conor Sammon - 6: Think the end could be nigh for him in a Ram’s shirt. Showed glimpses without really being a threat.

Subs:

Johnny Russell - 6: Surprisingly didn’t make much of an impact.

Jamie Ward - 6 : Gave us a spark but some of his passing was dreadful.

Bennett- 6: Looked sharp but didn’t have enough time.

Match Stats: Rams / Lions

Possession: 64% / 36%

Corners: 9 / 0

Shots (On Target): 14 (3) / 8 (5)

Fouls: 7 / 12

Match Info:

Referee: Mike Russell

Attendance: 23,853

Derby County: Grant (GK); Wisdom, Keogh, Buxton, Forsyth; Hendrick (Ward 62'), Bryson, Hughes; Dawkins (Russell 63'), Bamford, Sammon (Bennett 80’).

Unused Substitutes: Legzdins, Eustace, Whitbread, Thorne

Millwall:Forde (GK); Dunne, Shittu (Robinson 56'), Lowry, Malone; Upson, Williams; Martin (Woolford 65’), Garvan, Campbell (Chaplow 75'); Morison.

Unused Substitutes: Bywater (GK), Fredericks, Abdou, Jackson

Goals: Morison - 61’

Match Highlights - Video:

Match Reaction — Steve McClaren:

Match Reaction — Jake Buxton:

Next Time:

Derby County vs. Bolton Wanderers

iPro Stadium

7:45pm — Tuesday 11th March 2014

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls