Back to the East Midlands looking for another Pride Park win

Winning a game at Derby was something that I thought I'd never see. We couldn't even beat them at home for some years let alone away. We didn't play them that often but, between 1953 and 1995, we went 15 league games against them without winning one.

That 1953 win was at the Baseball Ground but the next time we won at Derby they'd moved to Pride Park where we've now won four times, including that fantastic day in the FA Cup in 1999 when we won 1-0 with an Andy Cooke goal.

We've won two and drawn one of our last three visits since they were relegated after their last season in the Premier League in 2008 and now we really could do with getting another win there to give our season a boost.

As I wrote in my match report after Leicester, I felt we deserved to lose our first two away games at Middlesbrough and Huddersfield but that we should have got something at Leicester. We've been in front in two of those games and that's been a major disappointment as both Middlesbrough and Leicester have come from behind to beat us.

Kieran Trippier - we want a clean sheet

At Middlesbrough, the worst of the three teams we've played, it was down to some long distance strikes, but the defensive frailties were much in evidence when Leicester got their first on Wednesday.

It's defensively where we have our problems this season. We've conceded 12 goals in the first six games with seven of those on our travels. We need to tighten up. Until last Saturday, Eddie Howe had stuck with the same back four but brought Michael Duff back for David Edgar. However, an injury to Duff saw Edgar return at Leicester and he's likely to continue tomorrow.

Right back Kieran Trippier, a member of that back four, said today: "We are giving too many goals away and making individual errors which we need to put right. When we have played teams we have been giving them goals and we all take responsibility, not just one person.

"You can't blame one person. We are a team and we are all in it together and we have to put it right for the game on Saturday. As a back four and a goalkeeper we want a clean sheet. That's our main target. We go into every game wanting a clean sheet and a win and hopefully we can do that on Saturday."

I think Trippier will line up in the same back four but who plays in front of him is less clear and much will depend on how Eddie Howe approaches the game. I expect Charlie Austin to return and, should Brian Stock make his second league start, his could be the only change with Cameron Stewart, for me, the most likely to be left out.

We could line up: Lee Grant, Kieran Trippier, David Edgar, Jason Shackell, Joseph Mills, Brian Stock, Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Martin Paterson, Charlie Austin, Junior Stanislas. Subs from: Brian Jensen, Luke O'Neill, Ben Mee, Marvin Bartley, Steven Hewitt, Ross Wallace, Cameron Stewart, Sam Vokes.

If we've been having problems in terms of conceding goals then Derby, at home, have certainly had no problem scoring them. In four league and cup games at Pride Park this season they've already scored a staggering 15 goals.

They drew 5-5 against Scunthorpe in the COCUP, losing on penalties, and in the league they've drawn 2-2 against Sheffield Wednesday and beaten Watford 5-1 and Charlton 3-2. It's been a different story away where they've scored just once in three games.

In the league a total of nine players have scored. All but one of those players have found the net once with Jamie Ward, who played for Sheffield United for a few minutes in our play off final win, having netted three goals.

The only club that can match that number of goalscorers this season are Middlesbrough. Lukas Jutkiewicz became number nine when he scored in their win at Blackburn tonight.

Derby's goalscoring exploits have taken them to 12th in the table. They have 8 points which is 2 more than us so a win tomorrow would see us go above them.

The one player ruled out of the Derby team tomorrow is captain Shaun Barker. The former Rotherham and Blackpool central defender hasn't played since March and won't feature all season having suffered a serious knee injury.

Nigel Clough does have Nathan Tyson to call on after he missed Tuesday's win against Charlton with a throat infection. Mason Bennett also returned to action this week, playing in their under-21 league win against Huddersfield.

Tyson, definitely, and Bennett, possibly, will be added to the team that won on Tuesday. That team was: 1. Frank Fielding, 2. John Brayford, 6. Richard Keogh, 16. James O'Connor (5. Jake Buxton), 3. Gareth Roberts, 7. Paul Coutts, 4. Craig Bryson, 8. Jeff Hendrick, 19. Will Hughes (11. Theo Robinson), 10. Jamie Ward, 32. Conor Sammon. Subs not used: 13. Adam Legzdins, 21. Valentin Gjokaj, 12. Michael Jacobs, 23. Kieron Freeman, 14. Conor Doyle.

Last Time We Were There

The experts didn't have Burnley down for a win the last time we went to Pride Park. It was August and we'd failed to win any of our three opening games. We'd drawn twice at home, against Watford and Cardiff, but had lost miserably at Crystal Palace. The other away game at Birmingham had been called off because of their European commitments.

Derby, however, had started well, as well as it was possible to start with four wins out of four. They'd scored seven goals and conceded only once. It was the home banker, but the home banker that saw a lot of losing coupons as two Charlie Austin goals gave Burnley a 2-1 win.

Eddie Howe sprung something of a surprise ahead of the game with the inclusion of Brian Jensen at the expense of Lee Grant, the former Derby goalkeeper who made his league debut for the Rams against us in 2002.

Two goals for Charlie Austin

There were no goals in the first half but we were the better side. Jensen was virtually untroubled but Frank Fielding was fortunate not to concede. He saved well from Austin, was fortunate when both Keith Treacy and the excellent Ross Wallace went close and then was even more fortunate when Austin's header from a Wallace cross hit the post.

Such was our dominance that Nigel Clough made a double substitution at half time and one of them, Theo Robinson forced an early save from Jensen, but just four minutes into the second half we went in front.

Treacy, playing on the right, beat full back Mark O'Brien and then brilliantly brought the ball in along the goal line before laying it back for Austin who transferred the ball from left foot to right and made no mistake before celebrating in front of the Burnley fans.

It changed the game. It had been a bit pedestrian to that point but now became a real end to end battle. Ben Mee cleared off the line and then Treacy shot against the post at the other end.

Derby County were throwing players forward and, with 20 minutes remaining, it paid off as Robinson was left to score following a long throw in.

Derby didn't deserve to be level but now they sensed they might go on and win it. Not a chance. Three minutes later we were back in front and the game was won. Jay Rodriguez played the ball for Wallace whose shot from outside the box was parried by Fielding. Austin didn't need a second invitation. He was first there and finished unerringly.

He should have scored again but blazed over, but as I wrote at the time: " Four chances in an away game. One against the post, two in the net and one soaring over the bar. That'll do for me."

An occasional message board poster, by the name of Ablueclaret, had said this was the game that would see us go bottom of the league. We didn't hear from him for days.

The teams were;

Derby County: Frank Fielding, John Brayford, Mark O'Brien, Jason Shackell, Kevin Kilbane, James Bailey, Jeff Hendrick, Craig Bryson, Jamie Ward (Lee Croft 45), Ben Davies, Steve Davies (Theo Robinson 45). Subs not used: Adam Legzdins, Chris Maguire, Gareth Roberts.

Burnley: Brian Jensen, Kieran Trippier, David Edgar, Ben Mee, Brian Easton, Ross Wallace (Wade Elliott 82), Dean Marney, Chris McCann, Keith Treacy (Alex MacDonald 90+2), Charlie Austin (Andre Amougou 85), Jay Rodriguez. Subs not used: Lee Grant, Zavon Hines.

Previous Games against Derby

Click HERE to see all previous results against Derby