3/1 To Win
Wayne Rooney has made it clear that Derby County must not get too disheartened following their 4-1 loss at Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.
The home side picked up all three points on a windy afternoon at the Riverside Stadium to leave the Rams with nothing to show for their efforts despite a spirited display.
Rooney’s side made the journey to Teesside looking for back-to-back victories in the Championship following the impressive 3-1 success at home to Hull City on Tuesday night.
They faced an uphill task against Chris Wilder’s in-form outfit, who went into the game with seven wins and just one defeat to their name in their previous ten league outings and an FA Cup Fourth Round penalty shoot-out success at Manchester United last weekend.
Derby fell behind inside the opening 15 minutes as Isaiah Jones’ inviting low cross from the right-hand side was turned into his own net at the near post by defender Lee Buchanan as he stretched to clear his lines.
The Rams levelled matters six minutes before half-time as a free kick into the Boro box wasn’t cleared properly and midfielder Max Bird let fly with a volley from the edge of the penalty area that whistled beyond the reach of Joe Lumley and into the bottom corner.
However, quickfire goals from Aaron Connolly, via a deflection off the unfortunate Curtis Davies, and a tap-in from Matt Crooks had Rooney’s side 3-1 behind the interval.
Derby were far stronger from a defensive aspect in the second period but did concede late on as Duncan Watmore slotted into the net from a few yards out.
Rooney was quick to stress he would take full responsibility the scoreline and make it clear that his side need to dust themselves down and prepare for the final 15 matches of the campaign.
Rooney told RamsTV after the game: “The result is disappointing and we know we probably weren’t good enough today.
“We gave sloppy goals away and in terms of the result, I take responsibility because I tried something with Tom Lawrence and Luke Plange in the first half, trying to keep them fresh and up the pitch and that didn’t pay off, so I take responsibility for the defeat.
“I thought our performance was okay, on the whole, I have to say. We conceded sloppy goals, but in the main, the overall performance wasn’t as bad as the scoreline suggests.
“I didn’t think there was much between the two teams, it’s a disappointing result and we move on. We have to dust ourselves down and go again next week.”
He added: “Middlesbrough are a good team in good form and you know it’s a game you can win, but also lose, because they’re a good team - so we can’t be too disheartened by today’s result.
“All our focus is now on Peterborough next Saturday. We have a full week to prepare for that and it’s a huge game for us.”
Derby were backed by just over 2,000 supporters in the away end and, despite the defeat, they vocally backed their team to the hilt.
Both at Pride Park Stadium and on the road, the Rams’ fans have given the side outstanding support all season long.
Rooney said: “The fans have been excellent all season and they were again today.
“They’re one hundred per cent behind us and we will keep trying to improve, fight for every point and see if we can stay in this division.”
Derby have a clear week on the horizon ahead of their next Championship fixture, which will see them host Peterborough United at Pride Park Stadium next Saturday (3pm kick-off).
