I.Saw's Cup Report - Rotten Rams Leave Rush Too Late!
Wednesday, 10th Aug 2011 13:41 by I.Saw

After the excitement and positive performance on Saturday – the Rams sent their fans falling to the ground with a deafening thud! A sign of things to come or a speed hump on the road to bigger things?

Derby County 2 v 3 Shrewsbury Town

Pride Park, Derby

7:45pm - 9th August 2011

REFEREE:

D Drysdale

ATTENDANCE:

7,073.

Teams:

DERBY COUNTY:

Fielding, Brayford, Shackell (Roberts, 75), O'Brien, Kilbane, Pearson, Croft (Cywka, 63), Maguire, B Davies, S Davies, Robinson.

Unused Subs: Legzdins (gk), Bailey, Ball, Bennett, Jones.

SHREWSBURY TOWN:

Smith, Regan, Hazell, Sharps, Cansdell-Sherriff, Ainsworth, Richards, Wroe, Wright, Collins (Gornell, 84), Morgan (Grandison, 89).

Unused subs: Neal (gk), McAllister, Leslie, Goldson, Taylor.

I.Saw’s Match Report:

Arriving at Pride Park, Shrewsbury Town, an old fashioned Fourth Division now League Two team.

From the offset route one football. Pressure on the Rams rearguard, get the ball up quick the mantra.

Derby spray the ball around comfortably at a pace just above walking, but then what? Nothing. No penetration, passing for passing’s sake; possession football without a point.

It’s a point not lost on the shrewd Shrews, they cotton on. They realise we will allow them space and the visitors out play us, control the game, no more long football, ball on the deck, out wide, create, score.

Shrewsbury do it thrice.

All three goals created by undisputed man of the match Lionel Ainsworth.

The first a corner floated to the back post, a simple header from Marvin Morgan, aided on it’s way by a Derby defender and over the man on the post into the back of the net with only a quarter of an hour gone.

Number two, another Ainsworth cross, this time in front of the keeper, an invitation that James Collins nods home.

Yet another cross from the Derby left, this time low and hard and Morgan reacts fastest to score his second and the visitors third.

A fourth and possibly fifth could have been deserved as shots hit Kevin Kilbane’s arms in the box twice in quick succession, the first flagged by the linesman but overruled by the referee, the second far more blatant still.

What of the Rams though, where were they whilst the rout was going on?

We had resorted to route one football from the back. Mark O’Brien pumping nowhere balls to nobody.

It was though Murphy’s choice.

The alternative was to bring the ball out from the back, yet when we had possession the midfield and strikers never showed for the ball preferring instead to run upfront waiting for the killer ball to arrive. I would say it was like schoolboy football but I suspect that would be an insult to the kids.

Factor in holding midfielder Stephen Pearson who probed like a nervous novice nurse with a rectal thermometer - just watching made you wince.

Add Theo Robinson whose relationship with the ball matched that of two Tectonic plates - when they touch you know it’s gonna hurt.

And finally call upon a number of below par performances from the likes of John Brayford and the two Davies together with a struggling centre half in Jason Shackell.

Unsurprisingly and deservedly the team left the pitch to boo's at half time trailing three goals to nil.

A quick goal from the restart by debutant Chris Maguire who had been anonymous for the first forty five added brief hope.

Hope flourished as in a rare moment of common sense, Theo Robinson received a pass facing towards goal rather than with his back to it or being asked to chase down lost causes; it proved a dividend and the score line reduced to a single deficit.

Cue the obligatory long ball finale. Cue defenders thrown up front. Bread and butter to the Shrews as they mopped up the Rams messy stew.

Another year, another League Cup exit.

Best of luck to Shrewsbury Town, by far the better team on the night and finally two words for the referee Mr Drysdale.

Well done.

Managers Reaction:

Speaking to the DET Nigel was frustrated and angry about his team’s performance:

"We spent the last three days warning against what happened in the first half and we are disappointed, angry and frustrated with the first 45 minutes.”

"I thought Shrewsbury played very well, exactly as we expected. They are a good competent side.”

"If we had played in the first half anything like we did in the second, then we would possibly be in the hat for the second round draw.”

"It is a lesson we didn't really want to learn again because we have learnt it for the last three years. If you go out and play at 75 per cent, or whatever, and you are half-hearted, it is impossible to win football matches.”

"Without doubt, the first half was just a lack of desire to work as hard as the opposition and that was after we had more than matched Birmingham City on Saturday.”

"What did I say to the players at half-time? It was more a case of embarrassment for them. They were embarrassed with some of the things they were doing on the pitch.”

"We wanted to build some momentum with a second home win but now we are back to square one going to Watford on Saturday and that is the single most disappointing factor.”

"The performances on Saturday and tonight were chalk and cheese."

"It worried us after Saturday. Could those who had disrupted pre-seasons, like Jason Shackell, lift it again? But we got a couple of fresh pairs of legs out there and you hope that will boost you.”

"Craig Bryson was injured; James Bailey felt his groin after Saturday and was just making up the numbers on the bench. We lost Jamie Ward (on international duty), and Jason Shackell and Kevin Kilbane were struggling.”

"We put the best possible side we could out and it just wasn't enough."