Fresh from adding Portsmouth to the list of teams that had been vanquished recently at Pride Park Stadium, Derby County went on the road for two tough away games.

The Rams had to visit Portman Road to face Roy Keane’s improving Ipswich on Tuesday night, before taking on the furry Foxes at The Stadium of Crisps on Saturday.

Expectations had certainly been raised with a string of fine Derby performances at home - and supporters anticipated that the improvement could carry the club on to a much better season this time around.

The workrate, teamwork, spirit and skill of the team had been emerging over the last 6 weeks and result improved dramatically. Rams fans have been delighted that they have an attractive, competitive team at last. However, Johnny Metgod chose to have a go back at the media, labelling them as virtual doom-mongers.

That assertion seemed a bit strange to me - because it was Metgod, after the Rams’ feeble defeat at Hull City, who quite clearly told fans to lower their expectations and that the present Derby squad was not even a top-half team.

Local radio, RamZone and others had merely reported his (on-air) assertions at the time; his message to us had been very downbeat but unambiguous - don’t expect too much. Caution is fine at this stage of the season, so Johnny needn’t be too defensive about his earlier caution - Derby had been largely ineffectual until the team clicked into gear late in September.

He should just keep preparing the team in the way that is finally bearing fruit. No-one’s going to chastise him for upwardly revising his ambitions and predictions later - let’s all enjoy the ride now that it all finally seems to be coming together!

A Tuesday evening away game at Ipswich Town on a cold November night is hardly a heart-warming prospect but the latest episode in the Rams’ resurgence saw the team relishing the challenge.

Roy Keane’s men had also surged into a top six spot and the visit to Portman Road had proved one of Derby’s toughest challenges of the season over recent years.

With Dean Leacock suspended, Clough minimised his team changes by switching in-form right-back John Brayford into central defence alongside Shaun Barker and moving Paul Green to Brayford’s berth. Fit-again Gareth Roberts therefore couldn’t dislodge the excellent Dean Moxey from the left-back slot and had to stay on the substitute’s bench.

The changes did not disrupt Derby’s splendid recent form as they won the match, making it three straight wins with an impressive 2-0 victory. Although the Rams had an ordinary first half, Kris Commons provided the killer touch with both goals in the second half.

He struck a free kick that gained a deflection to wrong-foot Marton Fulop in the Ipswich goal on 58 minutes and then swept in the clincher from 10 yards out after 76 minutes. Dean Moxey had battled and hurdled for the ball on the left wing before delivering the perfect pass to the feet of Derby’s leading marksman, who coolly passed the ball into the net.

It was a superb victory given the years of disappointment that the Rams had suffered at Portman Road, and a remarkable performance after the manager had to shuffle his players around to cope with injuries to key players.

The Rams climbed to 4th in the Championship table and fans could for once contemplate a more comfortable season, with performances from their team becoming more consistent and the all-important delivery of points is being achieved at a good rate.

Shefki Kuqi’s battling form for Derby has earned him a recall for Finland for next week’s game, and Kris Commons was also named in Scotland’s squad as a reward for his excellent recent run. Paul Green has another Republic of Ireland call-up and goalkeeper Frank Fielding will be with England Under-21s.

With goalkeeper Stephen Bywater nearing fitness again after his wrist injury, the loanee Blackburn custodian could have finished his loan spell in the game at Leicester - but the Rams decided to extend his loan spell at Pride Park Stadium for a further month.

That will give Bywater the chance to gain more fitness, with an initial run out for him in the reserves due next week. Then, it will be an interesting toss-up for My Clough as to whether to reinstate his number one keeper, or leave Fielding in place for Bywater to complete his training rehabilitation after the reserve fixture. Derby have allowed Academy keeper Ross Atkins to gain more experience, going out on loan again to Tamworth.

The Super Rams’ giant flag and the flag group’s splendid new Clough & Taylor ‘Class of ‘72’ were not allowed inside the Walkers Stadium on Saturday. This was for reasons best known to the Leicester City jobsworths, ostensibly on Health Safety grounds. Derby’s giant flag is fully certified and flame-retardant and exceeds the criteria of applicable fire regulations.

Another report about the situation recounted that some other visiting fans with flags had caused a nuisance at the Walker Stadium. So, instead of dealing with the miscreants responsible, LCFC have excitedly imposed a unilateral ban on all large flags and banners from all visiting fans.

Typical Leicester policy, I’d say, given that I’ve witnessed what I’d (diplomatically) label unhelpful stewarding on several occasions, both at Filbert Street and the Theatre of Crisps. Still, that’s their problem; they will be labelled pariahs unless they consider travelling rivals more fairly.

We’re not even Leicester’s neighbours - they haven’t really got senior football rivals, of course - so if the ban was initiated because of some assumption about the risk of crowd disruption or inflamed rivalries, it is just H & S pettiness in my view. A most miserable bunch, that’s Leicester!

Clough made changes for the game at the Walker Stadium on Saturday, with tactics and tiredness leading the manager to shuffle his pack.

Robbie Savage anticipated his 100th start for Derby but his presumptions were undermined when Nigel Clough put him on the substitute’s bench. The injury-plagued Stephen Pearson had his first start of the season and Dean Leacock returned to the defence, enabling Brayford and Green, heroes of the Portman Road victory, to revert to their own positions. Luke Moore replaced Shefki Kuqi as the lone attacker.

Over 3,300 Rams fans sold out the club’s travelling ticket allocation for the game at Leicester - but they saw a disappointing end to their team’s latest unbeaten run in a 2-0 defeat.

Derby conceded a goal in the first 15 minutes and then always found it hard to retrieve the situation. Andy King scored for the home side after only 13 minutes, enabling the Foxes to capitalise on their brisk start to the match.

Derby played only in fits and starts; they found chances at the other end few and far between and were comfortably beaten in the end. Paul Green had the Rams’ best chance and could have levelled the scores had he not fluffed his 2nd half header.

Derby didn’t force any great periods of dominance over the duration of the game and the Foxes, out of their traps quickly, established the upper hand and never relinquished it.

Steve Howard’s 71st minute penalty strike after Kris Commons fouled Kyle Norton put the icing on the cake for the Foxes and Derby seldom looked like recovering.

It’s a minor setback for The Rams in the context of the last two excellent months, however, as we remained in 4th place in the Championship table by virtue of a superior goal difference.

Shaun Barker collected his 5th booking of the season and so is suspended for next weekend’s game at home to Scunthorpe; he will probably benefit from the break, Anderson could deputise.

Captain Savage, on 4 yellow cards, was saved to the bench and not involved on the pitch at Leicester, which will allow Clough to put a fresh Robbie Savage back in the team next week if required.

Manager Clough reflected that his team was “a yard short on what we have been” and he will look to his men to bounce back against their next opposition, as they have done before this season. The week was an example of ‘win some, lose some’, after an unexpectedly fine show at Ipswich was followed by a disappointing performance at Leicester.

The Rams have extracted 6 points from the last 9 available in beating Pompey at home and winning at Ipswich so the impact of the defeat at Leicester was minimal - having obtained a winning habit, however, Clough and his staff will be keen to keep the team looking forwards and facing towards the top of the table rather their default position over recent years, that of looking anxiously over their shoulders at fellow strugglers.

The home game with Scunthorpe next Saturday gives Derby a chance to continue that progress whilst repaying The Iron for some of Derby’s ignominious moments from last season. Go Rams!

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RamsWeek 46 in 2009 saw an international break and I commented that ‘”You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”, in response to the latest musings regarding Scottish Old Firm Glasgow clubs, Celtic and Rangers and their hopes of joining the English Premier League.

Such lucrative League-hopping antics in the thinly-veiled pursuit of financial salvation is distasteful to put in mildly - and the (rejected) proposal that the Scottish interlopers might look to avoid competitive qualification through the leagues remains an unspeakable prospect.

The Scottish FA and clubs should address matters at home to make their leagues stronger and encourage throughput of more home-grown talent - top-flight and international football in England has the very same problems, without importing cash-strapped benefactors from the Old Firm.

Nigel Clough took his men abroad for a training break, during which they lost a friendly at ADO Den Haag 1-0. The manager was able to give several youngsters a first team outing. Miles Addison continued his fitness build-up from injury in the game, whilst Paul Green, recovering from a problematic broken foot and Jay McEveley, clad in a face mask after his broken jaw, gained some match time as well.

England tripped off to Qatar to play World Cup favourites Brazil in a friendly game; the Three Lions lost 1-0 but were always bettered by their more skilful opponents.

Ex-Ram Tom Huddlestone earned his first full England cap as a second half substitute.

Photo: Action Images

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