By Stuart Kidson
September 11 2003

The Baggies went into this game on the back of 4 wins out of 5 games so far this season, so expectations amongst the 4000 plus fans who had made their way to the East Midlands were high that the run of wins would continue especially against an out of form Derby side. Derby County v West Bromwich Albion

Pride Park, Saturday 30th August 2003



The Baggies went into this game on the back of 4 wins out of 5 games so far this season, so expectations amongst the 4000 plus fans who had made their way to the East Midlands were high that the run of wins would continue especially against an out of form Derby side.



With the news that the Baggies had accepted a 2.5 Million pound bid for Jason Roberts from Wigan Athletic and the move was now dependant upon Roberts agreeing personal terms, the talk on the coaches up to Pride Park was centred on that. Pre match odds had the Baggies down at 6/5 on for the win.



Gary Megson made two changes to the starting line up from Monday’s game against Preston, with Rob Hulse up front in favour of Danny Dichio and Icelandic international Larus Sigurdsson coming back into the defence. This meant that captain Sean Gregan was moved into his preferred role in front of the back three.



The Baggies made the brighter start and Neil Clement set off on a run at the Derby defence before unleashing a shot towards the Rams goal in the third minute which went just wide of the mark. Clement was being allowed space on the left and used this to his advantage in the opening minutes before Derby concentrated efforts in this area in an attempt to stem his advances.



Derby’s first real attack came in the 11th minute when Charlton player Matthias Svensson, on a month’s loan at Pride Park, and Lee Morris found a way around the Baggies defence. Morris raced towards goal with Sigurdsson in hot pursuit. The Baggies defender made a desperate lunge and bought Morris crashing to the floor. At first it appeared that the challenge had been made inside the area but referee Mr. M. Ryan of Lancashire awarded a free kick from the edge of the box. Derby fans were incensed by the decision, expecting a penalty to have been given. The free kick was slammed straight at the Albion wall before being cleared from danger.



This proved to be the wake up for the Rams and they soon had the Baggies firmly on the back foot and they should have taken the lead in the 19th minute when Joost Volmer totally missed a volleyed clearance inside the Baggies area. Svensson reacted first and looked certain to score for the home side but got his foot right underneath the ball and sent it soaring over the bar from 12 yards out.



Lee Hughes had been busy all over the park, leading the attack, helping out in midfield and at one point dropping right back to give the defenders a hand, but he apparently picked up a slight knock in the 25th minute which saw him replaced by Megson with Scott Dobie.



Dobie’s first real contribution to the game was to head home Jason Koumas’s shot, but unfortunately for the Scotland international his effort was ruled offside. Minutes later Derby almost opened the scoring when Paul Boertien sent a curling shot towards Russell Hoult’s net but the shot just cleared the crossbar. Derby were by far the better side and kept the Baggies pinned back in their own half as the Albion apparently lacked any creativity or flair.



The midfield was controlled by Derby and towering 16 year old Tom Huddlestone in particular, as Koumas looked uninterested in the game and O’Connor was no match in the air for Huddlestone. Albion did manage to contain the East Midlander’s threat and restricted them to long range shots from distance. Huddlestone saw his 25 yard effort sail high but the Baggies defence held well with Thomas Gaardsoe and Sigurdsson working very hard to hold back the almost constant pressure. Derby almost went into halftime ahead after former Villa star Ian Taylor, got his head onto Candido Costa’s free kick but Hoult dealt with the threat comfortably.



The Baggies then broke and Gregan chipped a ball into the Rams area which Dobie was first to. He tried to flick the ball over Andy Oakes in the Derby goal but saw his effort pass the far post and out for a goal kick.



Albion had two chances in the opening 15 minutes of the second half when Gaardsoe sent a powerful header goal bound only to be punched away by Oakes following a typically in swinging Koumas corner. Rob Hulse then carved out a chance for himself 3 minutes later but the defenders desperately scrambled the ball clear.



Derby then found the pace of the game and again set about controlling the midfield with Koumas looking as ineffective in the second half as he had in the first. Gregan was swamped at times and it was only a matter of time before Derby set siege to to Baggies goalmouth again. Morris and Svensson again opened up a path to goal and Morris got around Sigurdsson to shot at goal, but his weak shot was no match for Hoult and the former Derby keeper got down well to his left to keep the ball out.



George Burley felt his team could snatch something if they could find away around Gaardsoe and Sigurdsson and he replaced defender Michael Johnson with former Walsall striker Junior in the hope of unlocking the defence. As time ran down both sides tried to get something out of the game but the clinical finishing required was sadly lacking. Derby continued to dominate the central areas of the park, and with just over fifteen minutes remaining Megson sent on Andy Johnson and Artim Sakiri for Koumas and O’Connor.



Johnson, typically, attacked the home side with gusto and stamped his authority in midfield whilst Sakiri provided a touch of finesse with some intelligent running off the ball to open up the route to goal. Minutes after their arrival on the field Hulse was able to flick the ball past Oakes into the Derby net that sent the Barmy Army mad. The noise level inside the stadium rose to deafening levels as the entire South Stand went Boing Boing Barmy.



A nervy and tense final ten minutes saw the Albion desperately clearing any loose balls deep into Derby’s half as they attempted to contain the home sides threat. Junior wasted a wonderful chance when he failed to get any direction on his shot and the Baggies walked out with all three points and moved to the top of the table. Again the Albion had played poorly and snatched a narrow and very undeserved victory.



Man of the Match – Larus Sigurdsson (selected by me)



Teams:

Derby County Oakes, Jackson, Johnson M., Mills, Boertien, Costa, Huddlestone, Taylor, Valakari, Morris, Svensson



West Brom Hoult, Sigurdsson, Gaardsoe, Volmer, Haas, O’Connor (Sakiri 77), Gregan, Koumas (Johnson 77), Clement, Hulse, Hughes (Dobie 25)

Not Used Gilchrist, Murphy