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It left the magnificent away support stunned. The 2,000 plus Clarets were already on their feet celebrating a victory when that goal came. I think most of the 2,000 would have taken a point before kick off but one point was hard to take in the end as the stunned faces leaving the away end showed.
It had though been another enthralling game that the Clarets really had deserved to win and a game where the referee along with the most incompetent assistant on earth played a massive part in the result.
Derby had the first real attempt on goal when Brian Jensen got down to his right to save from Gary Teale but it was Burnley who were the brighter of the two sides in the opening exchanges when referee Grant Hegley made his mark.
It is hard to understand why he didn't yellow card Robbie Savage for a foul on Wade Elliott, and we all know how little effect the former Welsh international has on a game once he's booked. If that was hard to understand then I'm not sure anyone can explain how former loan defender Jay McEveley remained on the pitch after raising his hands to Wade after the full back had felled Chris Eagles.
We could so easily have got ourselves an early lead and it was the defenders who came closest. Clarke Carlisle found the woodwork whilst right back Rhys Williams forced a good save out of Stephen Bywater.
All the action was down at the far end as Burnley took the game to Derby but with no goal to show for it before the home side started to come into the game and have what proved to be their best spell.
We were on the defensive for some time and twice Jensen saved well to deny Derby. He again got down well to his right to save from Teale and then he did really well to keep out a Rob Hulse effort with his feet.
Derby, or should I saw Kris Commons, screamed for a penalty but even the hapless Hegley could see there was no contact. It wasn't quite Morten Gamst Pedersen in fairness but it was a ridiculous attempt to try and get a spot kick and again another player was fortunate not to be carded.
We said it was inevitable that the first booking would be a Burnley player and so it proved, although in fairness there can be no complaint at the yellow card shown to Martin Paterson.
As the half came to a close we got back on top but when the half time whistle went it was still 0-0 with all to play for in the second half.
In contrast to the hectic football of the first half it was a very subdued opening to the second period. It all seemed cat and mouse with neither side able to stamp their authority on proceedings. That was finally broken by the moment we'd all been waiting for.
Clarke Carlisle, again in great form at the back, had not always had great success with his balls out of defence. This time he got it absolutely right playing it out to Eagles on the right.
Eagles played a 1-2 with Elliott and then hit in a low cross that Bywater failed to deal with. There it was for Chris McCann to knock into the empty night right in front of the Burnley fans. The celebrations on pitch and in the stand were fantastic but now we had to ensure we went on and won the game.
I would say Derby weren't in it again and more than once we came close to getting that all important second goal that would have made certain. Robbie nearly pulled another rabbit out of the hat with a shot that hit the side netting and Paterson, after a great run down the right, almost played us in.
In another move down the right Paterson was fouled but with him down on the ground the now bizarre Hegley indicated he was playing an advantage. If that was bizarre what about his assistant, the one who couldn't see straight down the line. I've never seen anyone get so many wrong in terms of the ball going out or play or not. At one point Wade knocked a ball out further over the line than a Pedro Mendes shot at Old Trafford and still the nonsensical man gave nothing.
We made substitutions, even Graham Alexander came off with a calf injury, and we had two more chances to finish it. Robbie, amazingly, failed to control the ball in the box and one chance went but the other was astonishing. Joey Gudjonsson, the first substitute to come on, broke clear in the box before being brought down for the clearest penalty you are ever likely to see. Play on said Hegley. Incredible.
I watched the clock running down far too slowly but when it reached about 88 minutes I was finally convinced that we'd just about done it. Derby were offering nothing and we were playing keep ball in the corner.
Three minutes of stoppage time were added and we'd successfully got through well over two of them, in fact two and a half, when disaster struck. In a rare Derby attack it was Teale who crossed from the right for full back Paul Connolly to head home.
We were seconds away, but came storming forward and came close to a second from McCann, but when the final whistle blew it felt like a defeat. The point we'd have been happy with just before 3 o'clock now didn't seem to be anything other than a disaster.
But it's not a disaster, each and every point counts and the one we added has taken us one point closer to where we need to get. Preston's failure to win at Bristol City in the tea time game ensured we maintained our four point advantage, and now with only five games to go.
If we keep playing like this we'll do it, make no mistake about that. I thought overall this was a good performance with some very good individual performances within it, particularly in the midfield. Chris McCann and Wade Elliott were outstanding but the stand out player for me in the end was Graham Alexander, even if he could only manage 81 minutes.
The support was fantastic, now come on Burnley fans, fill Turf Moor to the rafters next week and give the lads the same support. We are on the verge of reaching the play offs at this level for the first ever time. Let's go and do it.
The teams were;
Derby: Stephen Bywater, Paul Connolly, Lewin Nyatanga, Martin Albrechtsen, Jay McEveley, Barry Bannan, Robbie Savage, Stephen Pearson (Przemyslaw Kazmierczak 84), Gary Teale, Kris Commons (Emanuel Villa 75), Rob Hulse. Subs not used: Lewis Price, Andy Todd, John Eustace.
Yellow Cards: Barry Bannan.
Burnley: Brian Jensen, Rhys Williams, Clarke Carlisle, Steven Caldwell, Christian Kalvenes, Graham Alexander (Michael Duff 81), Chris Eagles (Joey Gudjonsson 70), Wade Elliott, Chris McCann, Robbie Blake, Martin Paterson (Jay Rodriguez 76). Subs not used: Diego Penny, Kevin McDonald.
Yellow Cards: Martin Paterson.
Referee: Grant Hegley (Hertfordshire).
Attendance: 33,010 (including 2,259 Clarets).