Clough pleased with Rams character in fightback

NIGEL Clough was full of praise for the character his Derby County players showed in the crucial victory over Reading.

For a third time this season – and for a second consecutive home game – the Rams hit back to win after going a goal down.

They did so against Plymouth Argyle in August and Coventry City earlier this month.

Gylfi Sigurdsson's 56th minute goal gave Reading the lead but Derby responded quickly and positively.

Paul Green equalised four minutes later and leading scorer Rob Hulse popped up with the winner after 73 minutes.

It was the striker's sixth goal of the season.

"We showed character but we have to because we make it so difficult for ourselves at times," said Clough after the 2-1 win lifted Derby to 16th in the Championship.

"At 0-0, there was nothing in the game," added Clough.

"We probably had more of the play in the first half but then we give away a very soft goal when we tried to play out from the back. The position we are in, it is not the thing to do.

"But to come back again from a goal down at home is encouraging and once we equalised, I think everyone in the ground believed we would go on and win.

"When they scored first, it was important we responded positively and that's what we did."

Clough was delighted with Derby's two goals.

"I thought both were good goals," said the manager.

"It is something we have been stressing to the players – smash the ball across the six-yard box and we will get a striker or midfielder on the end of it."

Gary Teale sent in a low centre for Green to score from close range and then Jay McEveley delivered perfectly from the left for Hulse to find the net from inside the six-yard box.

"Those sort of crosses are almost impossible to defend," said Clough.

"Rob scored the winner and ironically it was one of the poorest first halves he has had this season.

"He did a lot better in the second half.

"We are not always going to get perfect service to him the way we are playing at the moment. It was like when Paul Green just missed finding him in the first half but Rob has still got to chase those balls."

Stephen Bywater made a couple of important saves late on as Reading, unbeaten in three going into the game, pressed for an equaliser.

The Royals were down to 10 men at that stage, after substitute Shane Long had been sent off for a late lunge on Fredrik Stoor, but the visitors battled right to the end.

Clough replaced the impressive Paul Dickov with Miles Addison to keep Reading at bay.

"People say we should have left two up. We couldn't cope with 10 back there, so I don't know what we would have done with eight or nine," said Clough.

"It would have been lovely to leave Paul on but we needed Miles because Dean Leacock could not win a header for a while and we just wanted Miles to go in front of the two centre-halves."