TWENTY three places separate Derby County and Stoke City on the League ladder.

Add to the mix Stoke's Premier League know-how plus a wealth of experience in cup competitions this season and the combination produced a gap too wide for Derby to bridge.

The 2-0 scoreline in favour of the visitors from down the A50 looks, from the outside, a run-of-the-mill victory in this FA Cup fourth round tie but Derby emerged with credit.

Despite the blow of conceding a goal in the fifth minute that should not have stood, they managed to remain in the contest until nine minutes from the end, when Stoke grabbed their second.

At times, Derby played the neater football.

Their willingness and bravery to attempt to pass their way around a powerful Stoke side should be applauded, although they carved out few clear-cut chances and never really tested Asmir Begovic.

By contrast, Stoke looked a threat and mainly from what is perhaps their greatest strength, set plays, from which both their goals came.

Derby knew this and expected their recent impressive defensive record of five clean sheets in six matches to receive a full examination. They were, however, saved from further aerial bombardment in the shape of long throw-ins as Rory Delap and Ryan Shotton remained on the bench.

Theo Robinson's calf injury forced manger Nigel Clough to change Derby's team for the first time in five games. An unbeaten run of six matches put them in good heart.

Stoke, last season's beaten finalists, may fancy their chances of going back to Wembley now that the two Manchester clubs have crashed out of the Cup.

They are also making an impact in the long-winded and over-complicated Europa League.

This was the Potters' 14th cup tie and we are still only in January.

Their manager, Tony Pulis, shows great respect to the knockout competitions and opponents. There is no messing about with Pulis; a cup tie is there to be won and he made his intention crystal clear by fielding a strong side.

With Derby seemingly a little edgy at the start, Stoke took full advantage.

The clock showed five minutes when Glenn Whelan and Matthew Etherington worked a short corner. Whelan's centre was flicked on by Marc Wilson and the ball bounced off Robert Huth towards goal. Huth went to smash it in but was beaten to the ball by Cameron Jerome who found the net from close range.

Derby's players claimed offside against Jerome and replays proved he was, although the assistant referee, who kept his flag down, may have thought it was Huth who scored.

But more about the officials later.

Jerome's goal was the first conceded by the Rams in 413 minutes since West Ham United scored against them on New Year's Eve.

Falling behind to Stoke so early was the last thing Clough's team needed because their best hope of an upset was to score first.

Derby gradually found their feet and produced their best spell in the final 20 minutes of the first half.

Pulis felt his Stoke side became sloppy but much of the brief turnaround was down to Derby.

The darting movement and busy play of Craig Bryson and Jamie Ward coupled with the growing composure on the ball of Jeff Hendrick and James Bailey picked at the mortar of Stoke's defence and a few cracks appeared.

Paul Green's shot was blocked after Bailey and Bryson opened up Stoke's left side before Hendrick sliced his shot wide from the edge of the area – probably Derby's best chance.

A shortage of fully fit and available strikers restricted Derby's options. However, the effect of playing Bryson just off Callum Ball was encouraging in the Rams' best spell and also offered an extra pair of legs in midfield.

Earlier, Ball had produced a fresh-air shot when well-placed in the box but the 19-year-old centre-forward battled gallantly against towering centre-backs Ryan Shawcross and Huth.

The menace of the lively Ward unsettled Stoke's right side and he is benefiting from the support and experience being offered by left-back Gareth Roberts, who continues to show his best form in a Derby shirt.

Huth reminded everybody of Stoke's threat when his header from an Etherington corner smacked against a post but it was Derby who did not want half-time to come.

Stoke, and Pulis, did.

"At half-time we dusted a few down and they went out a little more focused in the second half," said Pulis, whose goalkeeper Begovic stretched to push away a looping free kick from Green after the break but had little else to do.

Stoke took a grip on the game again.

Frank Fielding parried a testing low centre from Etherington before Jermaine Pennant's free kick bounced wickedly in front of Fielding, who did very well to turn it round a post. Jonathan Walters' header from the corner just cleared the bar.

Mark Clattenburg, a referee who officiates in the Premier League, left many in the stadium baffled by some of his decisions and any glimmer of hope for the Rams was extinguished when Stoke scored their second nine minutes from time.

Huth escaped from Green and met Pennant's corner with an outstretched boot to send a volley squirming underneath Fielding.

Derby sent on Nathan Tyson and handed a debut to 20-year-old Tom Naylor but Stoke had a bit too much for the Rams, as you would expect of a team eighth in the top division and preparing to play Valencia on the European stage.

Stoke are uncompromising, efficient and hard to beat.

And their substitutions underlined their strength in depth.

Peter Crouch, Jerome and Etherington went off to be replaced by Kenwyne Jones, Ricardo Fuller and Pennant.

Derby are not at that level but this defeat in no way should detract from the progress they have made in the Championship so far this season.