After the excursions of a tricky seven games in twenty-odd days, you could have been forgiven for looking at a Millwall side desperately out of form as the perfect three-point fodder before the international break.

The ‘beauty’ of football though reared it’s less than attractive head in this one - as Ian Holloway’s side once again managed to leave the iPro with a clean sheet.

The warning signs that this would be a hard game were highlighted during our last clash, where disgusting tactics made football, and Derby, the loser. The gaffer had warned of a similar fate in the pre-match build up and you felt an early goal would create a much easier contest.

ertainly, it looked like that was the message as we flew out of the blocks. Showing one change as the centre-half merry go round shows no sign of stopping with Whitbread returning to face his former club.

Immediately, we were intent of finding the goal that would change the pre-match anxiousness. An early corner was only half-cleared and Hughes played a clever ball to Ward who drove wide. Within a minute, the same man was involved again, breaking down the right before again shooting wide of the far-stick.

There were no signs of immediate tiredness in the first exchanges as once again we fashioned a chance from the right. Ward combined with Christie before this time cutting back to Martin who tried to place a shot but scuffed wide from the edge of the box.

Millwall were set up for the counter attack and fashioned a classic breakaway soon after Martin’s chance. Defending a Rams corner well, the play moved from box to box within four passes, with Gregory’s shot well-defended by Whitbread.

From the corner, a flick on to the back post, where Christie more-than-suspiciously bundled his man over after being caught wrong sided. Certainly one in the category of ‘seen them given.’

With last season’s amateur dramatics still giving a lot of the iPro crowd sleepless nights, every dead ball that the visitors took more than careful consideration over was pounced open with whistles and catcalls. No bother though for the men in blue, who had survived the early storm and were growing into the contest.

Ibe looked the man most likely for us and it was his run that almost got us in. After a sublime back-heel, he combined well with Bryson before providing an excellent cross. With Martin ready to shoot, the on-rushing Forysth got there first and couldn’t re-arrange his feet as the ball screwed off him and away.

The game was opening up and Millwall were playing their part. Following another corner, the ball found its way to Briggs, who smashed through the crowd just wide. Close enough to convince some Millwall fans that the ball had gone in. An open game would work in our favour and finally we produced a save from Forde in the visiting net.

More good work down the left saw Martin eventually find Ward on the edge of the area. Showing quick feet, Jamie cut onto his right foot and saw his curling effort well saved by Forde.

Then came the major talking point of the match.

A ball down the left-channel found Ibe scampering forwards. Running at pace, his touch inside the box saw him burst past a defender and nick the ball before the on-rushing Forde and then go down under the keepers challenge.

At first viewing, it looked a soft fall from the teenager, who could have stayed on his feet to cross towards an unguarded net. The referee agreed and decided to penalise the on-loan Liverpool man for a dive, much to the delight on the visiting keeper.

Forde’s decision to give Ibe some choice words didn’t sit well with Martin, who piled in like a protective brother, sparking a melee for which he and the keeper were booked.

One hoped that this would spark us into life but instead it was Millwall who threatened next, with Gregory turning Whitbread and gliding past Keogh far too easily before thankfully shooting straight at Grant.

The visitors’ endeavour though was causing our normal slick play to become disjointed as the game became scrappier before the break. Millwall threatened again in the last knockings, but once again Grant was served up handling practice before the whistle.

Half-time scores from elsewhere showed that a goal would for the time being send the Rams top. You felt an early goal would be crucial in order to stop the inevitable delaying tactics but a better second half would be needed.

What we got was similar to a cold Sunday lunch. The fundamentals were there, the appearance seemed good but there was that something that wasn’t right.

Similarly to the first period, we began brightly and Ward’s foray down the right and subsequent cross was well-defended with Ibe ready to tap-in. Soon after, Christie played a lovely cross-field ball to the teenager, who drove at his man before cutting inside. Perhaps sensing that I had backed him to score first, Ibe snatched at his drive, shanking it like one of my golf shots-way off target.

There followed what we had been expecting. Millwall dropped deeper, content to lap-up wave after wave of Derby attacks with two well-drilled banks of defence.

Taking every opportunity to delay play or win a free-kick, the game became one of those stop start affairs which is as conducive to our style of play as a chocolate fireguard. Changes were needed and two of them came-Hendrick and Best for Ward and Eustace.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between as the Millwall support began to sense taking something from the game. Still, we probed, but any sort of high-tempo which would prove too much for the Lions was sadly lacking. Perhaps a dead-ball would be the way to unlock the defence, although our insistence on taking short corners and working the ball back towards the half-way was highly irritating.

Finally, we engineered an opening, with Hughes showing quick-feet on the edge of the box to release Ibe. Free on the left-point of the area, Jordan delayed and delayed before being crowded out and was soon replaced by Russell.

Quickly, Bryson and Martin upped the pace, combining well to release Johnny whose cross just evaded Best in the box. That was the way to unlock the blue wall but instead our play returned to being lethargic.

Forsyth was being afforded plenty of room on the left but his radar, not for the first time this season, was pointing somewhere in the North Stand, or at least that’s where most of his crosses ended-up. Whitbread was guilty of too many long lofts forwards and the referee was annoyingly buying all of the visiting histrionics, making the game extremely frustrating.

Credit though must go to the Lions, who were tenacious in midfield. Come the last ten minutes and they sensed that they could fashion and unlikely win. Fuller had been introduced and his clever hold-up play was allowing Millwall to get further up the pitch.

Suddenly the Lions’ tails were up and Fuller was soon involved again, somehow winning a free-kick on the edge of the box after kicking the ball five yards past Whitbread and running into him. A booking was handed out to the centre-half to compound the disgusting decision, the referee obviously practising for Christmas by issuing cards galore during what wasn’t a dirty contest.

The free-kick was well-defended by the Rams to McDonald, who let fly from all of thirty-yards. His dipping drive was ushered wide by Grant, although the ball was a lot closer to the far-corner than he thought.

Millwall somehow looked the more likely to snatch it in the final minutes, forcing a couple of corners which thankfully came to nought. At the other end, Best was offside, just for a change, before Christie combined well with Russell on the right.

Watching Johnny drive forwards, you felt that this was to be the moment. After gliding past the excellent Chaplow, Russell shifted onto his left-side and I expected a curler into the far-corner. I had reckoned without the ‘shooting ban’ imposed for the second-half, as he was disposed after trying one trick too many.

Into stoppage time and again Millwall broke to force a corner. An in-swinging delivery saw Grant slap at the ball like a tennis-serve before a school-yard style scrambled developed. First Hughes and then Keogh threw themselves at the ball to produce excellent blocks as somehow we cleared the ball away.

There was still time for Best to stay onside and force a corner for us. Again it was cleared, straight to Russell who this time elected to smash it but once again, his goal-bound shot was charged down. One last attempt was again sliced into the crowd by Forsyth and that rather summed it up.

Full time. Another point in the bag but a distinct feeling of two dropped.

Millwall though were value for a point, restricting us to just one shot on target in the entire game. Webster at centre half was superb, as was the experienced Chaplow in his new role as holding midfielder.

Once again, they had come to do a job and had done it. There will never be a part of me though that enjoys watching teams’ fans celebrate a 0-0 draw like winning a cup!

Despite the obvious frustrations that we hadn’t won the game and hadn’t gone top of the pile, the second international break gives us time to reflect. Four clean sheets on the spin, unbeaten in ten games and just a point from the summit reflect a more than satisfactory return.

It says a lot when - despite all of the positives - you are still left feeling frustrated!

Weston’s Player Ratings:

Lee Grant — 6: Solid enough but distribution was poor at times.

Craig Forsyth — 5: Good defensively but very poor going forwards in some situations.

Cyrus Christie — 7: Not as free-running as normal but a good game.

Zak Whitbread - 6 Ok in spells but doesn’t look as dependable as Buxton. Too many hoofed balls.

Richard Keogh — 6: Did what he had to do well.

Will Hughes - 7 Tried his best to ignite a spark but wasn’t his or Derby’s day. (Star Man - if anyone!)

Craig Bryson — 6: Good energy as always.

John Eustace — 6: Got stuck in well even after first half booking.

Jamie Ward — 6: Lively start, but faded before being subbed.

Jordan Ibe — 6: A promising first-half but let himself down with dive and over complicated things at times. But he will learn!

Chris Martin — 6: Worked hard but again wasn’t his day.

Subs:

Leon Best — 6: Doesn’t look confident, needs a goal to get going.

Jeff Hendrick — 6: Couldn’t provide a spark but wasn’t alone.

Johnny Russell — 6:A couple of promising runs but no end product.

Match Info / Teams:

Ref: Mark Haywood

Crowd: 27,749

Rams: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Whitbread, Forsyth, Eustace (Best 58’), Bryson, Hughes, Ibe (Russell 64’), Ward (Hendrick 58’), Martin.

Unused Subs: Mitchell, Calero, Shotton, Mascarell.

Lions: Forde, Dunne, Webster, Williams, Briggs, Chaplow, Abdou (Upson 82’), O'Brien (Malone 68’), McDonald, Woolford, Gregory (Fuller 75’)

Unused Subs: King, Shittu, Beevers, Powell

Match Stats — Derby / Reading:

Possession: 66% / 34%

Shots On Target: 1 / 2

Shots Off Target: 9 / 9

Corners: 12 / 7

Fouls: 14/ 12

We Said / They Said - Match Reaction:

We Said — Steve McClaren:

"I thought quite early on that it was going to be a one-nil game but we didn't have the quality to pull it off.”

"We lacked quality in the final third, we lacked quality with our final ball, we lacked quality in our finishing; all the things that are usually our strong points.

They said — Ian Holloway:

"Crisis is not a word I recognise where football is concerned. Crisis is what is happening to people who go out to work for Christian Aid and lose their life. I have a supportive chairman. He won't be talking about a crisis today and he didn't mention the word crisis in midweek because he knows the truth about our situation and he knows what I am trying to achieve here.”

"Of course I'm happy to get a point here because a club like Millwall shouldn't be coming to a place like Derby, with their history and support and resources, and expecting to get anything."

Highlights / Post Match Interviews:

Up Next For The Rams:

Reading vs. Derby

Madejski Stadium

Saturday 18h of October - 3:00pm

COYR!!

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls