Latest Derby County news from Derbyshire Live brings you all the talking points from the Rams’ win over Port Vale
After defeating struggling Port Vale 2-0 thanks to goals from Louie Sibley and Dwight Gayle, Derby County was able to resume their pursuit for automatic promotion.
After barely four minutes, Derby was up and running thanks to a wonderful ball played by Curtis Nelson that found Joe Ward running. The winger cut the ball back into the box, where Sibley’s attempt deflected and went in for the opening goal, hitting Connor Ripley in the face.
The chances came and went, with Ripley denying Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Max Bird and Ebou Adams heading over from close range. Derby could have been thoroughly embarrassed in the first twenty minutes.
After a sharp counter, Barkhuizen missed a fantastic opportunity to make it 2-0, and Vale had their finest period of play but were unable to pose a threat to Wildsmith. However, Gayle provided Derby some breathing room when he scored the team’s first goal of the season by heading in an excellent Adams cross. After the interval, Vale had nothing to lose and went close to taking the lead when Ben Garrity headed wide from a corner.
However, Sibley scored his second goal of the afternoon when he struck following strong play from the outstanding Ward, who also picked up an assist. Substituting for Derby, Corey Blackett-Taylor curled over the bar as Bird fired at Ripley as Derby pursued a fourth. Derby ultimately had to make do with three goals in a vital victory.
After this victory, nobody is going to be booking open-top buses, especially as Port Vale proved to be a limited opponent and, regrettably, appears to be returning to League Two.
Derby handled their business professionally in that regard, and they really ought to have been out of the game before Vale had their greatest period of play halfway through the first half. The closest they got in the first forty-five minutes was Curtis Nelson’s clearance from a cross by Gavin Massey, and even then Joe Wildsmith was relegated to a spectator role.
Even yet, Pride Park’s anxiety levels were slightly elevated when Dwight Gayle successfully
Before the break, Ebou Adams’ centre produced a beautiful header that ended Vale’s challenge. It seemed undeniable that Derby deserved to win, especially considering the day’s social media uproar over Warne’s decision to start with three at the back when the selection was revealed.
Despite that, relief was felt following back-to-back losses to Charlton and Barnsley. Even though the task was completed, four other teams in the top six also recorded victories at the same moment. Normal.
Dwight’s all right
Earlier this week one EFL pundit appeared to write Dwight Gayle off as somebody who was incapable of leading Derby County’s forward line on his own.
Adrian Clarke’s assessment was based on the back of his midweek performance against Charlton when the truth was that nobody came out of that disasterclass with any credit. But the world of punditry seems to be built on snap judgments these days even if, in the case of Gayle, he had only played for the sum total of 90 minutes across two games.
It seemed to be forgotten that he was playing his first competitive fixtures since he came on as a substitute in Stoke’s goalless draw against Ipswich at the beginning of January. Even then it was only for 10 minutes meaning Gayle had not played for more than seven weeks before he joined Derby. But why let that important fact get in the way of reasoned debate?
As it turned out, the former Newcastle striker made Clarke regret his remarks on Saturday when he scored his first goal in nearly a year, showcasing his abilities to this team.
The 34-year-old put on a spirited display and scored a clever header while blowing a kiss to his supporters in the seats. Gayle will always be scrutinised at Derby because of his family history, as we all know, but at least allow him some time to adjust to life at the table.
Ward impresses
When Paul Warne was asked about Joe Ward in Thursday’s press conference, Derby’s head coach detailed how the former Peterborough winger had impressed with his sharpness in training.
Rapid was the word that he used to describe the wing-back and his performances in the build-up to this game at Moor Farm were enough to tempt Warne into picking him over Kane Wilson. Ward did not disappoint in the 3-5-2 system Derby employed and it was widely viewed by many as his best performance since his move to the club from Posh.
If we cast our minds back to when he arrived last summer, Ward was one of the standout performers in pre-season and started the campaign well until he ripped the fat pad from his heel in the defeat to Oxford.
His momentum was abruptly stopped by that odd injury, and he has struggled ever since, made worse by the penalties he gave up against Wycombe and Lincoln City. That showed us that, despite his lack of defensive prowess, turning around is a whole different story, which he reiterated over the weekend. In a brilliant and creative performance, he set up two assists for Louie Sibley. If he can maintain this level of play, he will undoubtedly be an important asset for the run-in.
Paul Warne has often spoken about how he likes to tap into emotions just to remind everybody what is at stake as we enter the home straight of a fascinating season. As part of the preparations for this game, the players and the staff were treated to a video of their journey so far in the meeting room at Moor Farm.
Among the clips that were shown included the way the players rallied behind Josh Vickers after his wife Laura died of cancer, there was also footage of the goals they scored, memorable wins, the subsequent celebrations and so on.
Every time his team emerges for kickoff, Warne said he wants them to remember why they are playing, why they should enjoy it, and why it’s not necessary for them to walk a tightrope every time. It did indeed have an effect. There are still ten games left for players to make history, and these kinds of chances don’t come along very frequently.
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