DERBY County’s frustrating start to the Championship season has entered the realms of the ridiculous.
Quite how the Rams failed to beat promotion favourites Queen’s Park Rangers at Pride Park on Saturday is beyond belief.
Two goals up and cruising against the early season pace-setters, Nigel Clough’s men contrived to ship two injury time goals and come out with a point.
But it felt like a defeat after the talented visitors looked dead and buried as added time loomed.
Kris Commons and James Bailey had given Derby a thoroughly deserved 2-0 lead before collective panic set in as Patrick Agyemang pulled one back two minutes into stoppage time.
And as the wobbles spread, and Bailey missed a golden chance to seal it at 3-1, former Rams target Jamie Mackie popped up in the fifth minute of added time to nick a point for Neil Warnock’s side.
It was such a shame for Clough’s young outfit, who had once again had played lovely football, especially through the promising Bailey and second half substitute Tomasz Cywka.
The draw follows a good performance against Coventry City, which ended in a 2- 1 defeat, and a 2-1 reverse against Cardiff City at Pride Park. Derby could arguably have won all three games, and certainly should have won this one.
While it is easy to be negative about where the Rams are in their rebuilding programme under Clough, there were so many positive things about Saturday’s match that it cannot be long before they start to turn their dominance into wins.
However, the Rams badly need a fit striker, with the determined Dean Moxey again starting as one of three deep-lying forwards.
Commons was a lone striker in the absence of Rob Hulse (Achilles) and Chris Porter (hip), the latter of whom was not even fit enough to be named on the bench.
Youngsters Callum Ball and Mark O’Brien were included among the substitutes, showing how thin the resources are at Pride Park with Stephen Pearson (knee), Miles Addison (foot), Steve Davies (knee) and Russell Anderson (groin) all missing along with Porter and Hulse.
But with several key players back after the international break, Sheffield United had better watch out as they visit Derby in two weeks because it is only a matter of time before the Rams give someone a good hiding.
Derby looked the better of the sides at the start on Saturday and John Brayford missed a good chance two minutes in when he totally missed Commons’ corner at the near post as he ran in unmarked.
Adel Taarabt, touted as one of the best players in the division, would have opened the scoring two minutes later were it not for Stephen Bywater’s excellent save.
The talented forward burst into the box past Robbie Savage and Shaun Barker before shooting low and powerfully from an angle eight yards out. Bywater got a solid hand on it and Mackie’s follow-up from 12 yards was well blocked by Gareth Roberts.
On 12 minutes, Taarabt blazed a free- Derby let two-goal lead slip in injurytime at Pride Park lead - and it came from a superb move down their left.
Moxey passed to Paul Green, got the ball back near the byline and hit a cracking cross which Commons controlled and cheekily chipped into the net over the despairing dive of Paddy Kenny from six yards.
It was a deft finish but Commons had to come off minutes later with a pulled hamstring — a shame as he had looked a threat and took his goal expertly.
For the second half, Moxey moved up to SET PIECE . . . Queen’s Park Rangers dangerman Adel Taarabt curls a free-kick towards the Derby County goal kick well over after a foul on Heidar Helguson by Barker, who was troubled in the air early on by the Icelandic international.
A minute later, Barker shot narrowly wide after Brayford cleverly controlled Conor Doyle’s corner and set him up in a crowded box.
Following an even period in the game, Helguson had the ball in the Derby net on 34 minutes but was rightly flagged offside as he beat Barker to the ball to lob over Bywater.
Shortly afterwards, the Rams had the be the lone striker, with Cywka playing in the three behind him.
And the young Polish star was instrumental as Derby took a 2-0 lead.
He burst into the box past Alejandro Faurlin and looked up, laying the ball off to the unmarked Bailey 20 yards out. The 21-year-old got the ball out of his feet, looked up, and passed the ball into the far corner past a helpless Kenny. It was another quality goal from the Rams - and Bailey’s first in senior football on his 50th league career appearance.
Derby continued to play the better football but Warnock introduced the muscular Agyemang and scheming Akos Buzasaky — and both gave the visitors a new lease of life.
The Rams began to defend too deeply as time ran out, having been relatively comfortable for most of the game.
Two minutes into stoppage time, they were somehow caught two-on-two at the back and Agyemang charged into the box and finished from a tight angle under pressure from Barker and Bywater.
Two minutes later, it looked like Derby would finally kill the game off.
Cywka intelligently found Bailey as he broke from midfield. He ran on into the box but his shot from 12 yards was well blocked by Kenny.
Seconds later, when Derby failed to clear their lines, Mackie finished neatly from 15 yards after deceiving Roberts to end the contest.
It was a real sucker punch for the Rams, who must be wondering what they need to do to grab a second league victory.
