Match Review - Derby vs Newcastle

[Jourdan]

***Sorry it's late everyone, was having some technical difficulties***

Derby 1-0 Newcastle
By Jourdan Rhule

"There's only one Kenny Miller!" was the cry from the home crowd as the Rams' latest signing left the Pride Park pitch to a standing ovation when he was substituted on his debut. It was his 38th minute volley - that proved to be the winner - and a dogged display up front that has earned him the fans' adulation so quickly.

But in truth, it was a refreshing performance by the whole team, as they showed the same intensity and fight that saw them draw against Portsmouth on the opening day.

The hosts came out of the traps swiftly but Steve Howard failed to take advantage of two early opportunities to score. After the ball sat up kindly for him 10 yards out but at an acute angle, he poked the ball toward goal before it was deflected away for a corner. From Teale's corner, Howard proceeded to nod over the bar with a close range header. Tyrone Mears came closer still, rounding off a pulsating run from defence with a subdued 20 yard shot that rolled straight into the arms of Steve Harper in goal.

Newcastle had their best first half chance from a brisk counter-attack, Harper freeing James Milner down the left with a lofty throw after collecting the ball from a Derby corner. Milner raced into the opposing half before prodding the ball into space for Michael Owen who drove forward before dancing round Stephen Bywater before spinning round and picking out David Rozenhal with a juicy cross, but the Czech centre back could only screw his shot wide from 10 yards with the goal at his mercy.

The visitors' search for an opener continued to be frustrating as Geremi's 22 yard free kick from the left leapt up and over the wall but as it headed toward goal Bywater hacked it away with a crucial save.

After the referee failed to spot a foul on Rozenhal by Dean Leacock from a Magpies corner, it would prove to be a turning point in the game as Derby took the lead soon after.

Bywater's long punt forward was flicked on by Howard into Miller who took a touch before swiping at the ball from long range to see it float past by a stranded Harper, clearly caught off guard.

Shola Ameobi fired wide on the stroke of half time as the hosts went into the break ahead.

The second half was a case of what could've been for Derby, as Steve Howard in particular threw away a feast of chances to kill off the opposition.

Whether it was Gary Teale or Eddie Lewis providing the ammo, Howard just couldn't seem to find the target, miscueing his headers from close range on 3 occasions that you'd expect him to score from.

Fortunately for the Rams, Miller's goal seemed to have taken the sting out of the visiting side and Big Sam addressed this by taking off Michael Owen as part of his three substitutions in 20 second half minutes, but neither Obafemi Martins nor new signings Habib Beye and Abdoulaye Faye could engineer a comeback as the Toon Army failed to ask serious questions of the home side for most of the second half.

The Rams also made second half substitutions but in an attempt to "shut up shop", American Benny Feilhaber replacing Kenny Miller to make his long-awaited debut and Jay McEveley taking the place of Eddie Lewis five minutes before time.

The decision to protect the lead and absorb time invited the Magpies to pile some late pressure on in their desperation for an equaliser. But Derby stood firm, surviving a nervy 4 minutes of stoppage time to claim a precious first win of the season to lift them off the bottom.

They now sit in 19th place and head to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday to pit themselves against an unbeaten Arsenal side in frightening form. They have already ended one team's unbeaten run this week, why not another?

Player Ratings

Bywater - 7 - Cool & composed, looks a completely different player from a few weeks ago - the win and clean sheet will do wonders for his confidence

Mears - 7 - Tidy display as we've come to expect from Tye, dealt with Milner effectively and posed some threat going forward

Leacock - 7 - Had a few iffy moments but did what was required of him by containing Owen

Davis - 7 - Much like Leacock, there were times where he looked shaky, but mainly he stuck to the task and got the job done by frustrating Ameobi

Griffin - 7 - Perhaps inspired by playing against his former club, Griffin delivered arguably his most resounding performance in a Derby shirt

Teale - 7 - Continuing to look dangerous, he is doing everything right, beating defenders and whipping in crosses. Sooner or later Howard will put them away.

Oakley - 8 - Typical Oakley display, he is the heartbeat of the midfield, working tirelessly to contribute in both defence and attack.

Pearson - 8 - After a few flat performances in the past few weeks, he has come back from the international break looking alot more at ease, displaying the workrate, athleticism and vision we've been craving to see.

Lewis - 7 - Despite his lack of pace, he showed intelligence and guile to still trouble the opposition.

Miller - 9 - MOTM - Stunning goal to cap a promising performance - his workrate and ability to hold up the ball and bring others into play impressed me most.

Howard - 7 - Big headache for the Magpies defence, but failed to put numerous good chances away

Subs.:

Feilhaber - 6 - Looked comfortable, would love to see him play for a longer period of time where he can have more of an impact

McEveley - 6 - Almost made an instant impact but nobody could get on the end of his inviting free kick, wasn't involved too much