Brewers lift Vase again as Rams struggle

DERBY County could have few complaints as Burton Albion deservedly retained the Bass Charity Vase last night.

The Rams, 16 times winners of the competition, lost 1-0 at the Pirelli Stadium and were fortunate to avoid being beaten more heavily against the League Two new boys.

Shaun Harrad's first-half penalty settled the contest but the Brewers wasted other chances.

Paul Peschisolido's side played with purpose while Derby's young team were second-best in most areas of the pitch for much of the game.

Their play, particularly in the first half, was too pedestrian.

A plus point was the 55 minutes played by Kris Commons on the back of his half hour against Notts County on Tuesday.

The Scottish international is building his match fitness after hamstring trouble and is likely to play some part of tomorrow's friendly against Stoke City at Pride Park Stadium.

Derby fielded three triallists in Scott Neilson, Marc Grocott and Fraser McLaren.

Neilson, a right winger from Cambridge City, played in last week's goalless draw at Torquay.

Grocott and McLaren are strikers.

Grocott, 20, worked his way up through the youth system at Stoke City and McLaren, also 20, is with Berwick Rangers.

Goalkeeper Saul Deeney, who has agreed a deal with Derby and will have squad number 13, was facing his old club.

Burton's team included former Rams defenders Marc Edworthy and Paul Boertien.

Edworthy is without a club and is training with the Brewers as is another ex-Rams player, Richard Jackson.

Derby Academy product Ross Atkins is on trial at Burton with a view to a loan.

Jason Beardsley captained the Rams and Giles Barnes was in central midfield, as was Burton's summer signing Jacques Maghoma who impressed when the teams met in a friendly earlier this month.

Commons showed some clever touches early on but Grocott and McLaren found themselves up against Darren Stride and Ryan Austin who soon stamped their authority with some strong and fair aerial challenges.

But it was a slightly late challenge at the other end that gave Burton the chance to go ahead on 15 minutes.

Jermaine Johnson jumped into and felled Mark Goodfellow and Harrad, opting for power, drilled his penalty down the middle of the goal.

Maghoma was too eager with his challenge on Neilson, catching the Rams player nastily. Manager Peschisolido issued a quiet 'calm down' message to his player but had every reason to be pleased with the way his Burton side started.

They would have doubled their lead on 21 minutes but for a fine save by Deeney who blocked Harrad's effort after some neat football by the home side.

Derby's defence, especially the centre-backs, struggled in the first half, although there was little protection for them from the central midfielders.

The Rams needed a spark, some inspiration, and it almost came from Commons who was inches away from an equaliser two minutes later.

He won the free kick and then effortlessly curled the ball left-footed up over the wall only to see it rebound off a post with Atkins at full stretch and beaten.

It was Derby's one bit of real quality on the night.

Burton found it too easy to trouble the Rams.

Johnson was relieved to deflect a centre straight at an equally relieved Deeney, Harrad should have done better than drag a shot wide before Richard Walker reached Harrad's cross and lifted the ball over from close range when a second Burton goal looked a certainty.

It was one-way traffic at this stage and Jimmy Phillips curled a shot beyond the dive of Deeney and narrowly wide.

Barnes' poor effort minutes before the break – his shot finished some distance wide – summed up a poor half by the Rams.

Barnes produced a much better effort at the start of the second half, Atkins saved, and then Arnaud Mendy's volley went wide.

But Burton missed a golden opportunity to go two-up when Phillips delivered from the left and Walker, like he did in the first half, failed to hit the target.

Aleksander Prijovic replaced McLaren, who had a quiet game as did the other triallists, and Burton always looked most likely to score.

Harrad brushed off Beardsley and made the wrong decision, shooting near post rather than going across the keeper, and then Deeney held Russel Penn's strike.

Johnson received a lengthy lecture from the referee for a late tackle on Goodfellow and the final substitution of the evening was a strange one, goalkeeper Roy Carroll replaced Barnes and went up front!

Pre-season is about building the fitness of the players, and results are often of secondary importance, but this was a disappointing show.

Former Premier League referee Mike Read was the guest of honour and presented the trophy to Burton skipper Michael Simpson, who was also named man of the match.

Derby last lifted the trophy in 1996 but never really threatened to halt Burton's run of wins.

The Brewers have now won it four years running.