Full-time: Jamie Ward strike earns Derby County 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest
JAMIE Ward's second-half strike earned Derby County a 1-1 draw with arch rivals Nottingham Forest.
Chris Cohen gave Forest the lead at a packed Pride Park Stadium just after the half-hour.
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Jamie Ward
But Ward grabbed an equaliser in the 52nd minute to ensure the match ended all square.
Ward and Craig Bryson both made their return to the Derby starting line-up.
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Ward was making his first start since the end of September, when he suffered a torn hamstring - coincidentally against Forest at the City Ground.
Bryson, meanwhile, had missing the previous four games due to a knee injury.
As a result of the two changes, Ben Davies and Kieron Freeman dropped to the bench.
Will Hughes was passed fit to play after being forced out of last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Brighton with a back problem.
John Brayford, who was deployed in midfield against Brighton, reverted to his regular position of right-back.
Forest boss Alex McLeish made one change to his side, with defender Danny Collins returning from suspension in place of Dan Harding.
Derby started brightly and put the visitors under some early pressure.
Bryson fired a speculative effort wide and when the midfielder was fouled just outside the area, Ward's free kick was deflected, off the wall, just past the post.
Forest responded by carving out two good chances.
The first, in the 14th minute, stemmed from Richard Keogh misjudging a high ball down the middle and ended with Simon Cox smashing a shot against the crossbar, with Mark O'Brien eventually clearing the danger.
Moments later, Cox was released on the right and his cut-back found the advancing full-back, Gonzalo Jara Reyes, who blazed over from a promising position.
At the other end, Forest keeper Karl Darlow had to beat away a deflected Gareth Roberts cross as Conor Sammon prepared to pounce.
Then, on the half-hour, Paul Coutts fired wide from a difficult angle after combining with Sammon down the right.
Forest went ahead in the 31st minute.
Billy Sharp's cross from the right reached Cohen, whose initial volley was miscued but fell kindly for him to side-foot past Adam Legzdins from eight yards.
In search of an equaliser, Brayford surged forward and drove a shot wide from outside the box.
And just before the interval, Ward curled a 20-yard effort narrowly wide after exchanging passes with Sammon.
Derby were level seven minutes into the second half.
Sammon won the ball well midway inside the Forest half and picked out Ward, who coolly finished first-time from 12 yards out.
The goal lifted the home side and they almost took the lead immediately when Jeff Hendrick's dipping shot was tipped over by Darlow.
Next, O'Brien headed over from a Coutts corner.
Forest still looked a threat, though, with Henri Lansbury dragging a shot wide before Cox pulled the ball across the face of goal.
With 20 minutes to go, substitute Dexter Blackstock found himself free from a corner but his downward header bounced up and over the bar.
As the clock ticked down, the visitors looked the more likely to nick a winner.
Derby were indebted to skipper Keogh for a vital clearance from Cohen's dangerous cross.
And with six minutes to go, Sharp span on the edge of the area and drilled a low shot inches wide, with Legzdins rooted to the spot.
GOALS: Cohen (31) 0-1; Ward (52) 1-1.
DERBY COUNTY: Legzdins, Brayford, Keogh, O'Brien, Roberts, Coutts, Hughes, Hendrick, Bryson (Jacobs, 75), J Ward (Robinson, 67), Sammon. Subs: Fielding (gk), O'Connor, Freeman, Davies, Bennett.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Darlow, Jara, E Ward, Collins, Halford, Gillett (Moussi, 69), Lansbury, Majewski (Blackstock, 63), Cohen, Cox, Sharp. Subs: Evtimov (gk), Moloney, Harding, Greening, McGugan.
REFEREE: M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).
ATTENDANCE: 33,010.
BOOKINGS: Forest - E Ward (60) foul on Hendrick. Rams - none.
Comments
by JohnZFish
Monday, January 21 2013, 11:37AM
“Basically a draw in the 1tth & 12th play off place game -wow I'm underwhelmed. at least we have achieved mediocrity on a shoe string, whilst our neighbours have spent a fortune to accomplish it.”
by mickstu
Monday, January 21 2013, 9:58AM
“mr_b_nottm - dont shout about deby as your lot owe the tax man £40 million in death duties from the "loan" your poor chairman gave to you , never mind the half million a week that he was pumping in to kkep you solvent.
Please explain why your team of world class stars could only get 1 point out of 6 against a team , average age 22, or why the sky stats bshow derby 9 shots on target, florest 2, and your world class stars being penalised 16 times against the football players 7
As for best team/ worst team this years results might be something to do with this years team not our team from 30 years ago or even the team of last year - remeind me was it 0 points against Derby , the year before another zero. Did we play the year before or were you in a lower division
No wonder you watch "football" in the council house of the ***ty ground”
by timc3489
Monday, January 21 2013, 3:29AM
“I THINK A DRAW WAS PERHAPS A FAIR RESULT AS OTHER THAN THE GOAL HOW MANY TIMES DID WE WORK THEIR KEEPER OR GET A SHOT ON TARGET OTHER THAN THE GOAL.SAMMON MAY HAVE DONE WELL TO CREATE THE GOAL FOR WARD BUT ALTHOUGH HE CAN HOLD THE BALL UP WHEN DID HE HAVE AN EFFORT ON GOAL HIMSELF EITHER A SHOT OR HEADER? OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS WE HAVE HAD OTHER TARGET MEN WHO DO A SIMILAR JOB AND ALSO SCORED GOALS AS WELL.REMEMBER MICK HARFORD,IAN ORMONDROYD AND MARCO GABBIADINI?I DO NOT LIKE TO SINGLE OUT PLAYERS AND SAMMON MAY HAVE SCORED SEVEN GOALS BUT THEY ALL BEEN AT HOME,AND OTHER THAN THE ONE AGAINST WATFORD THEY HAVE ALL BEEN TAP-INS .THE TWO AGAINST BIRMINGHAM WERE LUCKY IN THE FACT THAT THE HEADER WAS JUST OFF-SIDE AND THE SHOT ONLY BEAT THE KEEPER BECAUSE IT WAS A SCUFFED SHOT AND THE BOUNCE BEAT THE KEEPER.WE SHOULD HAVE GONE FOR CHRIS WOOD AGAIN AS HE COST THE SAME AMOUNT AS SAMMON AND HAS SCORED SIX GOALS IN THREE GAMES.HOW WE HAVE LOST EIGHT MILLION PONDS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS BAFFLES ME ALONG WITH MANY OTHERS AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE THE END OF JANUARY IF ANYTHING.”
by staffsram
Sunday, January 20 2013, 11:06PM
“Mr_b_Nottm
We get a lot of red dog simpletons on here but you must be the dumbest of all. Sad thing is you don't realise it because.......you're a simpleton!”
by RamsfanBaz
Sunday, January 20 2013, 9:49PM
“'World famous neighbours'?! Yes, that'll be NFFC: the first (former) winners of the EC to be relegated to the third tier of their domestic football ladder!!!
Can't stop laughing!!!!”
by TheOakwoodRam
Sunday, January 20 2013, 9:29PM
“Anyway getting back to the game rather than brainless discussion about 'the worst team in history' or 'the world famous' forest, I think that both teams were fairly happy with a draw. We played within ourselves and had a number of players below par on the day, possibly down to the decision to play players who were not 100% fit and coming back from injury, namely Bryson, Ward and Hughes. Ok Ward scored the equaliser but I thought that we needed at least two of those players on the bench to come on in the second half rather than struggle through the game and it was a litle harsh on the likes of Jacobs and Davies who have played well recently and are match fit. Hendrick had a good game (again) and perhaps with more players around him supporting him would have helped control the game. I was citical of Sammon as he didn't hold the ball up well enough (his control at times is abysmal even by Theos standards!) but to be fair he did very well for the goal and could perhaps have been supported better. I think both teams showed that they are very similar and likely to finish around mid table. 2-3 addtions to this squad, especially someone who can put the ball in the net (not likely I know) and I think we'd be in a good position to mount a play off challenge.”
by MR_B_NOTTM
Sunday, January 20 2013, 8:43PM
“ramification
until your fa cup final, against the famous team, the mighty reds had a better average home attendance than the small team down the A5-2. that was your highest attendance of the season. is it because you're not used to watching a world famous team. i know it must be very frustrating for you. don't blame me, blame your dad/ uncle/ brother, all the same person i know. also, the mighty reds have the second best away following after leeds, so i'm guessing you're not up to scratch with your supporter facts.
can't stop, won't stop laughing at the worst team in history' FACT', because we are the world famous, pride of the midlands NFFc.”
by MR_B_NOTTM
Sunday, January 20 2013, 8:31PM
“dcfcrams
like winning the fa cup ? how many times has the tinpot team won it ? what about the famous club ? same with the league cup and finally the european cup. nuff said.
can't stop, won't stop laughing at the worst team in history as we are the world famous, pride of the midlands NFFC”
by MR_B_NOTTM
Sunday, January 20 2013, 8:24PM
“ingubidire
you are correct by stating that the two times, european champions lost 1-8 against man utd. but did you know that if you type in worst team in history on google, it comes back with dierby clownty.
can't stop, won't stop laughing at the small team down the A5-2 that have never won anything, because we are the world famous, pride of the midlands NFFC”
by ramification
Sunday, January 20 2013, 8:22PM
“Mr B Notts Is the B for brainless First we would like to thank you for the 10 points youve given us this last 2 seasons and also for letting us knock you out of the cup in 2010 But suppose thats not as bad as being turned over by Oldham this year is it ha ha ha Talking about laughing whos the prats who mime to My Leaking Tyre at the cow shed While were on about attendences you did really well this season when 17,456 turned up to watch you lose to Charlton by the way your officially the worst supported team in the East Midlands even worse than Fester”