Derby County played out a goalless draw at Wycombe Wanderers in Sky Bet League One on Wednesday evening.
Corey Blackett-Taylor and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing had Derby’s best chances in the first half at Adams Park as they edged two points clear of Bolton Wanderers in the table with three matches remaining, although the Trotters do have a game in hand.
There was plenty of effort and endeavour throughout but Derby were unable to get the goal they wanted to pick up a victory and were forced to settle for a point on the road.
Derby had an eight-day gap from their last fixture when they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Portsmouth at Fratton Park and Head Coach Paul Warne made one change from the meeting with Pompey.
Right-sider Joe Ward, who scored twice in the contest with the league leaders, did not recover from a knee issue in time to be involved so striker Conor Washington came into the side in his place.
There was also a welcome return to the squad for forward Tom Barkhuizen after missing the previous three matches with a calf problem and he was named as a substitute.
Wycombe, meanwhile, went into the contest following their late Bristol Street Motors Trophy Final reverse against Peterborough United at Wembley Stadium on Sunday and manager Matt Bloomfield shuffled his pack from the 2-1 loss against the Posh.
Derby, backed by their sold out and vocal away support, started on the front foot and forced a corner in the opening minutes which came to nothing.
Some excellent work by Washington forced a chance after six minutes which should have seen the Rams take the lead. The Northern Ireland international closed down a Wycombe clearance and that allowed him to burst clear on goal. He unselfishly crossed for an unmarked Blackett-Taylor to his left, but the wideman was unable to find the target on the stretch from inside the six-yard box as the ball trickled wide.
The lively Washington had a shot blocked inside the box as Derby continued to push for the breakthrough early on, after being teed up by James Collins, while down the other end Wycombe’s first opportunity came from Richard Kone as he blasted over from the edge of the box after 18 minutes.
Wycombe edged their way into the contest as the half progressed and they tested Derby more from a defensive aspect as the half hour mark closed in, but Joe Wildsmith in the Rams’ goal remained relatively untested owing to some solid defensive work.
Derby had another golden opportunity to take the lead late in the half as Mendez-Laing latched onto Korey Smith’s excellent through-ball. The Guatemala international used his pace to advance clear on goal, however, he fired the ball over the crossbar from inside the box.
Mendez-Laing had Derby’s first chance of the second half six minutes after the restart as he drifted inside from the right wing and curled a left-foot shot over the bar.
Skipper Conor Hourihane came off the bench on the hour mark in place of Blackett-Taylor as the Rams looked to make the breakthrough they craved attacking towards their band of travelling supporters. That meant a slight shuffle in the team's shape with the experienced midfielder slotting in a central role.
Wycombe had a chance with just over ten minutes left as substitute Gideon Kodua drifted inside from the right and hit a low shot towards the bottom corner which Wildsmith did well to push away for a corner.
As the clock ticked down, Derby made a triple change to introduce some fresh legs into the side with Barkhuizen, Martyn Waghorn and Liam Thompson introduced into the action in place of Smith, Washington and Collins.
Paul Warne’s side pushed to make the breakthrough in the dying stages and put plenty of balls into the box and asked questions of the Chairboys but they were unable to force the goal they wanted to pick up all three points.
While it wasn't the result they wanted, a point and a clean sheet on their travels could prove to be vital further down the line.
Wycombe Wanderers: Ravizzoli (GK), Grimmer (C), Tafazolli, Butcher, Low, Potts (Scowen 69), Taylor (Leahy 86), Lonwijk, Sadlier (Kodua 69), Kone (Vokes 86), Lubala.
Substitutes Not Used: Stryjek (GK), Campbell, McCarthy.
Derby County: Wildsmith (GK), Wilson, Cashin, Collins (Waghorn 78), Mendez-Laing (C), Smith (Thompson 78), Washington (Barkhuizen 78), Sibley, Blackett-Taylor (Hourihane 60), Adams, Nelson.
Substitutes Not Used: Vickers (GK), Fornah, D Robinson.
Derby face a quick turnaround as they return to League One action on Saturday afternoon when they host Leyton Orient at Pride Park Stadium (3pm kick-off).
