I imagine most of us would have been happy to take a point from the League leaders before Sunday’s match at the City Ground.

The Rams took that point thanks to a gritty display, and answered my request in last week’s column to get a result and stop Forest opening up a wide lead; but in truth the match was a tense but lacklustre affair.

It seemed to me that the Rams still showed a number of shortcomings, mostly at the back, which will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Firstly, as I’ve harped on before in this column, Lee Grant showed an alarming reluctance to come out and claim crosses, even those hit deep into the six yard box. This will cost us if it continues.

Secondly, and this seemed to apply particularly earlier on in the game, Rams players allowed Forest players time and space to shoot from around twenty yards without a challenge. Again, this will cost us.

Thirdly, the Rams’ central defenders showed an unwillingness to commit when an opponent ran straight at them with the ball. Bucko was the worst at doing this, and yet again, it will cost us.

Something which was new to me, but contributed greatly to the lacklustre feel of the game, was the tendency by Rams players to pass to an opponent when moving out of defence. It showed a lack of concentration, and was extremely frustrating.

Finally, it seemed to me that both Russell and Dawkins were ineffective; neither offered much going forward. There was an obvious need for Jamie Ward to return as soon as possible; I think we will also be seeing quite a bit of Ibe and Calero.

In contrast, Wednesday at Blackburn was a completely different proposition.

Ward returned for Russell, and scored twice in the Rams’ 3-2 win. The Rams showed a return to the quick passing football of last season, and fully deserved to go ahead 3-1 by early in the second half.

The only blemish on a fine performance was the Rams going into a defensive shell and allowing Blackburn to pile on the pressure in the last ten minutes. Defending too deep and throwing away the initiative is something else the Rams need to work on eliminating.

So the Rams sit in seventh place, a point behind sixth-placed Reading, and four points behind Norwich in second place. Cardiff come to the iPro on Saturday, to provide what should be interesting opposition.

Cardiff started brightly, winning two and drawing one of their first three Championship matches. Since then, they’ve lost against Wolves, Norwich and Middlesbrough, and only managed a draw against Fulham.

Manager Solskjaer has only just stood down with Player / Coach Danny Gabbidon and Academy Coach Scott Young, temporarily taking charge of the Bluebirds.

It looks as though John Brayford will again grace the iPro pitch, as he has started six out of seven this season for Cardiff plus they have the dangerous Kenwyne Jones scoring goals. Adam Le Fondre, Peter Whittingham and Nicky Maynard are also dangerous players, so their attack should not be underestimated.

Jake Buxton will be available for the Rams, having served his suspension for being sent off at Forest. It will be interesting to see if he is recalled for the Cardiff match, or will Whitbread get an extended run? I also would not be surprised to see Ibe get a start on Saturday.

Overall, this is a match the Rams can win; three points would really get the season moving. And a big step towards three points would be a return to our clean sheet ways from earlier this season.

Photo: Action Images

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