Disappointment is Rammed home

This was a perfect time to play Derby. Poor recent form, poor recent history at Turf Moor and a considerable current injury list meant they were a depleted side there for the taking, yet Clarets inexplicably put in their worst display of the season and for many in the near 14,000 crowd home beckoned long before the final whistle, the game for them still remaining a doubt at ten pm.

The first half was a largely forgettable affair with neither side creating any chances on target, so 'keepers Coyne and Grant kept clean, dry gloves by the time the pundits mulled over a dull first forty five.

Derby had the clearest of the openings and their main threat, the lanky Rasiak, should have done better than scuff his shot on six minutes high and wide, when his turn in the area left Duff flat-footed.

Derby's neat passing game and constraint of the midfield area left Clarets clutching at attack minded straws. Moore and a largely disappointing Blake, were left isolated and when the ball was played up to them, invariably it came straight back from them, their control below their normal standards.

Clarets midfield struggled to gain any real foothold in the game, Chaplow was very subdued, Valois was either unable or unwilling to go past his man and it was mainly left to the head of Branch or the craft of Hyde to pull the strings from midfield, where the battle was conceded in favour of Derby's superior work rate, movement and passing.

The nearest Clarets came to threatening Grant's goal was Moore's stretch at a good low cross from Duff on the quarter hour after Valois had sent the overlapping full back clear down the right wing.

Other than that, it was the visitors who dominated the opening half and after a change of ref, when Lee Mason replaced Alan Kaye midway through the half, Derby asserted themselves to the break, though without troubling Coyne despite their dominance.

Huddlestone turned Chaplow inside out and his deep cross to the far post was headed just over the angle by Reich as Derby signalled their intentions and the half's skill spot belonged to Rasiak whose first touch and neat turn set up a shot form twenty five yards, that skimmed past Coyne's left hand post.

That was as good as it got for the pundits come half time and with even their box closed in favour of the warmth of the stand, the night had a doom and gloom feel to it.

HT 0-0.

Sour Grapes - the squad will be further depleted with the loss of Ian Moore

Clearly, buoyed by a half time talk based on motivation, Clarets emerged much brighter in the early stages of the second half.

Grant was finally called into action five minutes in after good work by Moore created a shot on the turn that the reserve keeper could only parry into the night sky. This turned out to be his one and only anxious moment of the game.

Rasiak missed an absolute sitter and whilst excused by a delayed linesman's flag, he was none the wiser when guilty of missing the goal from close range.

The visitors lead did arrive ten minutes into the half and questions needed to be asked of the Clarets defence, when Tudgay was allowed to head across Coyne from Idiakez's lofted free kick into the area.

The goal came as no real surprise, yet it seemed to sap the Clarets still further, who seemed unable to change pattern or shape in order to gain something from the game.

The home players legs grew ever more heavy only five minutes later, Derby doubling their lead with John McGreal's howler of a pass.

Having stretched to control a long hopeful ball up field McGreal casually knocked the ball side wards in a vain attempt to Coyne that found only Rasiak inside the area. Squaring the ball to Reich, Reich couldn't miss from eight yards with Coyne stranded and McGreal, with head in hands, could only hope for the heavens to open even further after casting aside any hope of salvation from the game.

Grant replaced the ineffective Valois before Sinclair tried his version of a "McGreal" and he could be thankful to Coyne for a double save from Rasiak after unusual casualness on the half way line conceded possession to Derby.

Clarets had their best change to redeem themselves with a quarter hour remaining. Blake fed Hyde and his shot from within the "D" drifted wide from the good opening.

Duffy replaced an injured-looking Chaplow and Bisgaard replaced Reich, the latter taking an age to depart as Derby ran the clock down. Four needless minutes of added time passed by before those remaining in the home sections could leave the ground and it was a sorry end to the recent good run, that this was seen by a TV audience a false reflection of how well Clarets have been playing.

FT 0-2.

Att:- 13,703.

Sour grapes:-
With Ian Moore now bound for the operating table, the Clarets are a depleted outfit. On the evidence of this display it's the team requiring some surgery not just one player. Sadder still was that over 2,000 extra people turned out on a night of awful weather and despite all the club's good intentions to increase the attendance, performances like this one have a lasting effect on the casual attendee and a silencing effect on newly created singing sections.

Fine Claret:-
Micah Hyde stood out head and shoulders above all others. Whilst those around struggled to find their rhythm, Micah at least was one who stuck to his strengths where his energy, drive and guile remained throughout, whilst many seemed unable to get going form the off.