With their Captain watching from the bench, a determined Rams made a point while taking one from their trip to Barnsley.

Barnsley 1 vs. 1 Derby County

The npower Championship

Oakwell, Barnsley

Saturday, 18th September 2010, 3:00pm

Mr D Webb

Attendance:

12,089 (1179 Travelling Rams)

Goals:

Leacock (14), Hammill (48)

Teams:

Barnsley: Steele, Hassell, Foster, Shackell, McEveley, O'Brien (Trippier 74), Butterfield (Doyle 86), Arsemendi, Hammill, O'Connor, Gray (Dickinson 81)

Subs: Preece, Lovre, Nuemann, Devaney

Derby County: Bywater, Brayford, Leacock, Barker, Moxey, Bailey, Green, Bueno (Pearson 65), Pringle, Commons (Cywka 70), Kuqi (O'Brien 90)

Subs: Deeney, Savage,, Doyle, Martin

Rams Fan Report by I.Saw:

Barnsley fresh from firing five past Leeds. hosted the Rams who had been mauled by the Tigers midweek. A rare strike by defender Dean Leacock gave Derby hope before Hammill dashed those with an opportunistic finish to share the points. Like sharing a duvet though it's never even and Derby had the Lions’ share of possession.

Barnsley was in fact the birthplace of the Quilt, patented by James McLintock, a Barnsley businessman, in the 1860's. McLintock & Sons subsequently became famous, winning awards in Paris, Edinburgh and Philadelphia. They even manufactured a quilt with the Royal Coat of Arms for Queen Victoria.

All of which makes you wonder why, being as we all have at least one quilt or duvet, Barnsley isn’t the richest place on the planet and their football team isn’t up there in the Champions League. Maybe having a brilliant idea isn’t enough.

At Oakwell Park, brilliant ideas were in short supply. At least off the pitch. Have a ground half full, divide a full stand and let the visitors use only half of it, make it unreserved seating so that everybody arriving late can’t find seating other than right in the corner down the front.

Refuse to allow fans to sit in the myriad of empty seats directly behind the goal. Have officious stewards that stand in your way. It all makes for an excellent return on your leisure pound. No wonder the grounds half full.

On the pitch, Derby fare better, Ben Pringle is in for Robbie Savage offering more mobility and Shefti Kuqi offers us a target man. Alberto Bueno and Kris Commons bubble and fizz and Paul Green links the play together.

It’s no surprise that the Rams take the lead. Pringle’s in swinging corner, keeper punches, Kuqi, back post, heads into the danger area, Beuno nods it on and Dean Leacock finishes the move off for his first Derby goal.

Almost before the celebrations die down, Bueno slips Commons in and the net bulges. A stiff flag on our right prevents a bigger lead as Kris was ruled offside.

One nil in the first quarter of an hour, fifteen minutes later and from the terraces comes the first chants of "Sack the Board, Sack the Board, Sack the Board". Premature and unwelcome!

Barnsley came back into the match and only a good save from Stephen Bywater and a combination of defenders on the line kept a clean sheet for the Rams as half time beckoned.

If that was a warning it went unheeded, barely had the second period started when John Brayford allows the ball to roll over his feet and straight into the path of Adam Hammill who takes the ball in his stride and coolly slots home past Bywater. It’s one all another defensive mistake has punished the Rams.

With both sides looking for the winner the game becomes stretched and Derby had two chances to take all three points. Dean Moxey hit a speculative centre that keeper Steele fumbled completely and although the ball trundled along the line at walking pace there was no forward to turn the ball home.

Even when the ball reached the far post a kindly bounce turned it to safety rather than into the net. Derby’s other chance fell to Kuqi who couldn’t get a shot off with the ball getting stuck under his feet when well placed in the penalty area.

In between those two chances, Bywater saved well from Butterfield’s rasping drive and Barker blocked another pile driver.

Manager Nigel Clough used three substitutes, Stephen Pearson replacing a tired looking Bueno, Tomasz Cywka a straight swop for Commons and Mark O’Brien who came on in injury time as Kuqi seemed to catch a knock when he couldn’t get his shot off right at the end.

Kuqi, gave an honest performance and was singled out by some in the crowd as he limped off. A tad unfair perhaps but then selling leading scorer Hulse and not replacing him with someone better was hardly a brilliant idea.

And in football as in life if you can’t succeed with a brilliant idea like a duvet, then what chance without one?

Managers Reaction:

Nigel Clough speaking to the Official Site:

"It could have been more, which is perhaps a similar story to a lot of our games so this season. We played some good stuff and there were a lot of positive points to take from the game”.

"But, we didn't lose the game which is something to build on. The true value of this point will only be known if we get a positive result against Crystal Palace at Pride Park next week”.

"It was a hard-earned point because Barnsley give little away at home, but we feel it could have been three”.

"We need a break to go our way, like the cross from Dean Moxey that the goalkeeper spilled onto the post in the second period going in rather than bouncing out”.

"It is great for Deano to score a goal at last, and credit goes to Kuqi and Bueno for getting the ball into his path. We started brightly and deserved our goal; we looked dangerous all afternoon from set-pieces."

"It (the Barnsley goal) came from a mistake again, which has been the case for almost all the goals we've conceded.  We need to learn how to handle those situations better."

First Time Goal Scorers Reaction:

Dean Leacock speaking to the Official site about his first goal for the Rams:

"I'm delighted to score at last, it has been a long time coming and I'm just glad to be off the mark. I scored at Burton Albion in pre-season, and I was determined to do it for real this season”.

"I didn't know what to do to be honest when the ball hit the back of the net, I just ran away and quickly got mobbed by the lads. I'm just gutted we didn't win the game; once again we played really well but couldn't hang on”.

"It is coming together though, we've ended the losing run and the target now is to put a mini-unbeaten together. We owe the fans after the poor performance last weekend against Sheffield United”.

"We want to get our first home win next week against Crystal Palace, and like I said we know as a group we owe the fans".

Next Match:

 

Derby County vs. Crystal Palace

Saturday 25th September

Pride Park Stadium – 3pm

Photo: Action Images

Derby County Polls