Uptown Top Ranking: Scooby Snacks

Derby 0-1 ITFC April 6th 2013

The weather was so much warmer on Saturday at Pride Park than at the Den five days earlier, the icy cold wind having blown away. The sun was out and the sunglasses were on, which made driving up to Derby much more pleasurable.

Brian Clough and Peter Taylor

Unity Plaza

Before the kickoff there was a minutes silence in memory of the six Philpott children who died in a house fire in Derby last May. Earlier in the week their parents Mick and Mairead Philpott and friend Paul Mosley were all convicted of manslaughter for deliberately starting the fire. The plan was to frame Mick Philpott’s ex mistress Lisa Willis who had also shared the home with her children until three months earlier and claim custody of her children to get their benefits.

Minutes silence before kickoff

David McGoldrick playing the last game of his
93 day loan spell. Will we see him next season?

The Philpotts may not have got away with murder, but Ipswich certainly got away with daylight robbery at Pride Park! If there was a game that we didn't deserve to win this season this was the one. Derby started brighter, playing some good attacking football and we were under threat from the start, with keeper Scott Loach being called into action early on.

Derby had two great opportunities to take the lead, firstly Connor Salmon hit the post when one-on-one with Loach after thirty minutes and four minutes before halftime Loach saved a Jamie Ward penalty. So we managed to go in all square at half time, but my thoughts from a neutral perspective would have the home team going on to win the match 2-0!

The Rams started the second half strongly and we were on the back foot, Salmon's claims for another penalty after being tripped were waved away. Mick McCarthy then changed things around bringing on Guirane N’Daw and Frank Nouble for Andy Drury and Daryl Murphy just before the hour mark.

On loan budgie Chris Martin then thought he had put Derby in front after tapping in from close range only to have it ruled out for offside, how sweet! Loach was definitely the busier keeper but the changes made enabled us to get back into the match.

With five minutes remaining Derby sub Michael Jacob's had a claim for yet another penalty waved away after being tripped by Aaron Cresswell, I thought the ref might give this one from where I was sitting at the other end of the ground! At this point I started to believe this might be our day and so it turned out to be. With four minutes of injury time ticking away and the stadium beginning to thin out up popped Carlos Edwards with a run through the middle and a twenty-five yard shot smashed past Rams keeper Frank Fielding and into the net. Cue massive celebrations from everybody in blue and a mass exodus from the Derby fans who must have been absolutely gutted.