RamZone Match Roundup - Dominant Derby Pound Pompey
Sunday, 30th Oct 2011 13:16 by Daniel J Sewart

The Rams ended a run of 5 games without a win in emphatic fashion. Forty five minutes of brilliant football dismantled their opposition while setting up a near -unbeatable lead before the half time whistle had been blown.

Derby County 3 vs. 1 Portsmouth

Pride Park Stadium

Saturday October 29th

Referee:

C. Pawson

Crowd:

24,148 (947 Witnessed The Destruction Of Pompey)

The Teams:

The Rams:

Fielding, Anderson, O'Brien (Kilbane 30), Shackell, Roberts, B Davies, Hendrick, Bryson, Ward, Robinson (Doyle 73), Maguire (Bennett 68).

Unused Substitutes: Legzdins, Buxton.

Yellow Cards: Shackell

Goals: Bryson (3), Maguire (14), Ward (33)

Pompey:

Henderson, Rocha, Pearce, Lawrence, Mullins, Huseklepp (Futacs 62), Varney, Halford (Ward 16), Kitson, Norris (Razak 62), Ben Haim.

Unused Substitutes: Ashdown, Mokoena.

Yellow Cards: Ward, Varney

Goals: Pearce (79)

Match Stats: Derby - Portsmouth

Possession: 40% - 60%

Shots On Target: 13 - 3

Shots Off Target: 3 - 6

Corners: 7 - 7

Fouls: 12 - 12

Most Fouls: Maguire (4) - Kitson (3)

Match Summary:

Three first-half goals were enough for Derby to record their seventh win of the season and shored up their place in the Championship playoff places.

Craig Bryson put the Rams ahead after just three minutes when Theo Robinson sent the midfielder clear in on goal. Bryson finished the move with a well placed finish into the bottom corner.

The lead was doubled just before the quarter hour mark when Chris Maguire pounced after more good work from Robinson when his initial shot was blocked only for the Scottish international to pick up the crumbs and double the Rams lead.

Jamie Ward completed the first half hat-trick in what was a dominant first forty five minutes - when the busy Jeff Hendrick fed a brilliant ball to Ward who finished the midfielder’s good work with a clinical strike.

The Rams could easily have made it 5 or 6 goals but instead did not add to their tally in the second half as their barn storming performance saw them tire in the final twenty minutes. That and the fact the team were forced to make three changes with Mark O'Brien succumbing to a shoulder injury, Theo Robinson tweaked his hamstring and Chris Maguire got a nasty knock to the nose. All of whom should hopefully recover in time in time for the Cardiff clash mid-week.

With the game over and the frontal assault from the Rams easing - Portsmouth grabbed a consolation goal ten minutes from time when James Pearce headed in from close range.

Derby had to sustain some late pressure but the damage had already been done and the mountain was too high for Portsmouth to scale as they slip to 18th in the Championship while the Rams moved up to 5th.

Both Sides Of The Story – Official Match Reports:

The Official DCFC Official Site Report

The Official Portsmouth Site Report

Coaching Staff Reaction:

Andy Garner fronted the media after the match to discuss the impressive win:

"It's a great feeling to get three points again and we're delighted the manner of our performance. It was a magnificent display, especially in the first half when we produced some fine football and scored three quality goals.”

"We wanted to be on the front foot from the off and looking around the changing room today I could see the players were ready to get out there and get back to winning ways."

"They showed that by scoring so early and putting the game to bed in the first 30 minutes or so. Portsmouth's squad is packed with quality and players who have played in the Premier League so for our young side to beat them convincingly is a huge boost."

"Injuries don't seem to be far away and we picked up few today which we will monitor on Monday. Mark and Theo are obviously concerns but we'll just have to see how they on Monday morning when we begin the preparations for the Cardiff game."

Player Reaction:

Goal Scorer and ‘Man Of The Match’ Craig Bryson was pleased with his performance and bagging a goal so early in the game:

"The early goals settled us down and gave us a huge confidence boost. We've scored early quite a few times this season and the manager got us fired up to do it again today.”

"The first goal in this division is so important and I think it's clear it gets us buzzing as a group of players when that happens. There's nothing worse than being up against it early on and when that early goal goes in you can see what it does for our confidence.”

"To go three goals up inside 30 minutes was unbelievable and the way we played was brilliant; we passed the ball well and scored some great goals. It could have been more but we'll take the points that is for sure."

"To be fair no-one really talked about not winning in five matches, but we all knew it, as players we have a management team behind us who believe in us all and they made it clear our performances were good in those five games. That gives you a lot of confidence and allowed us to focus on just getting three points."

"We were unlucky as well, especially against Barnsley and Middlesbrough where we really should have won.”