NATHAN Tyson's two starts in what has been an injury-hit season for the Derby County striker came in the back-to-back home victories over Leeds United and West Ham during the festive period.

His only other appearances were as a substitute against Forest back in September, at Ipswich in December and in the last two matches against Stoke City, in the FA Cup, and Barnsley, in the Championship.

His former club Forest face Derby at Pride Park Stadium tomorrow and Tyson could be handed his third start.

A persistent groin problem has made it a frustrating first half to the season for the 29-year-old, who was the Rams' high-profile signing last summer despite arriving on a free transfer.

Nigel Clough felt Tyson would inject genuine pace into the team.

Clough said the player was at the top of his wanted list. "His pace is electrifying and scares defenders and his goal-scoring record at Wycombe was very impressive. We'd like to see him repeat that here," said the Rams boss at the time.

Tyson has been short of goals recently (four in the last two and half seasons) but his running power has troubled opponents, as Derby found to their cost last season when he shredded them in Forest's 5-2 victory at the City Ground.

He was also a threat as Forest won the return fixture 1-0 at Pride Park, when Robert Earnshaw scored.

His lengthy spell out has been a blow for him, Clough and the Derby supporters.

"One thing supporters do not see is how hard Nathan has been working and how disappointed he gets when he is not fit to go out there and play," said Clough.

"We help him through it as much as we can, as do the other players.

"I think you can have certain players who don't mind being in the treatment room at times. I don't think we have got too many of those left now and certainly Nathan is not one of them.

"If he starts on Sunday, we hope he can play the majority of the game.

"The good thing about a player like Nathan is that he is naturally fit but he is frustrated because he knows that when you play a few games, you get sharper and better."

Clough was impressed by Tyson's half an hour in Tuesday's defeat at Barnsley.

Derby's poor first-half display had left them three goals down and the introduction of Tyson, coupled with a collective determination among the team to put things right in the second half, saw the Rams claw their way back to 3-2 with a much-improved show.

Tyson has shown in glimpses what he can bring to the side, both in pre-season and on the occasions he has appeared in the first team.

Clough is hoping the striker can now contribute on a more regular basis in the 18 remaining League games.

"I think we have seen in a few brief glimpses what an impact Nathan can have," said Clough.

"I thought he made a difference against Leeds and in the first half against West Ham.

"Those two results set us on a great run and I hope he can do something similar again."

The win against Leeds on Boxing Day sparked a sequence of five consecutive victories, four in the League and one in the FA Cup against Crystal Palace.

The 12 points lifted Derby from 14th to seventh. They are currently 12th.