Key events
11 min: Eccles is clattered by Sanderson out on the left flank as the pair compete for a corner. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Derby box, waiting for Grimes to deliver.
10 min: Simms makes a run of great insistence down the left. It’s a real power hustle, and he shrugs off Sanderson, but Brereton Diaz tracks back to ensure he doesn’t make it all the way to the Derby box. Everyone is well up for this.
8 min: Esse motors down the left and his shot-cum-cross is smothered by O’Donnell in the Derby goal. This is good bank-holiday entertainment.
7 min: Banel briefly threatens to break into space down the inside-right channel, but Onyeka eases him off the ball. Derby keep pressing, though, and Clark barges his way down the opposite channel, but his shot, half-scuffed, is blocked by Thomas. Derby look lively.
5 min: Brereton Diaz bustles down the right and earns a throw deep in Cov territory. Ward shapes to throw long, but then goes short, and gets the ball back. He whips dangerously to the near post, but Rushworth has read the intent and gathers without fuss. Both teams seem in the mood to attack.
3 min: However Coventry come straight back at Derby. Esse’s shot is blocked by Clarke, who extends a leg bravely at close quarters. Then Murkin gently shoves Sakamoto in the back as the pair contest a high ball. A huge cry for a penalty, though it’s more from the Coventry fans than the players themselves. Fast start by the hosts.
2 min: Van Ewijk looks long for Simms. Clarke intercepts. Then Esse hassles Ward down the left and forces the first corner of the match. Coventry have scored 24 goals from set pieces this season, the division’s best … but this one comes to nothing.
Derby get the ball rolling. The CBS Arena roaring.
The teams are out! Coventry City all in sky blue – hats off to Jimmy Hill – while Derby wear second-choice grey with orange trim. We’ll be off in a minute!
Derby boss John Eustace talks to Sky. “We’re really excited … we’re playing against the best team in the league … we’ve got nothing to lose … we know they’re a top team with top players coached very well … what a great opportunity for us to showcase ourselves and see where it takes us … we’ve kept level headed … believe in our process … our football is improving all the time … we’re looking forward to each challenge and tonight is another one.”
Eustace also delivers some unwelcome news regarding Rhian Brewster. He picked up an injury against Birmingham and that’s required surgery, so he’ll be out for the rest of the season.
Cov manager Frank Lampard speaks to Sky Sports. “Focus on every game … continue with the momentum … the basics … everything we’ve been doing for a period of time now … stay calm … understand that this league is so tough … absolute focus from us … a bit of a rest … train well … be ready … understand now we’re at the crunch end … [Derby] will be a really tough one … we found that out earlier in the season … we know they’re a good team … we have to be at it.”
By way of fair measure, here’s what happened in this fixture last season. Once again, over to our old pal PA Media, Esq.
Jerry Yates excelled as Derby earned their first away win by beating Coventry 2-1. The forward scored the opener after 11 minutes and his strike after the break deflected in off Bobby Thomas. Derby withstood a potential late comeback from their hosts after Coventry pulled one back through Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.
That result led to the surprise sacking of Mark Robins, who had taken Coventry to within a toenail of the club’s second FA Cup final just a few months earlier.
If tonight’s game is even half as good as the reverse fixture, played back in August at Pride Park, we’ll be in for a treat. Here’s what happened, as reported on this very website by that omnipresent scribe, Mr PA Media.
Coventry staged a stunning comeback to beat Derby 5-3 at Pride Park. The visitors, coached by the former Derby manager Frank Lampard, scored three times in the space of eight minutes for a remarkable victory.
The teams traded goals in the first half with Derby twice coming from behind to go in level at the break before their captain, Ebou Adams, put them in front. But after Brandon Thomas-Asante equalised, Ephron Mason-Clark and Victor Torp settled a pulsating match.
Coventry’s first goal was tinged with good fortune as Jacob Widell Zetterström punched Matt Grimes’s low free-kick against Bobby Thomas and the ball bounced into the net in the seventh minute. There was nothing remotely lucky about the equaliser five minutes later. David Ozoh won a free-kick on the left side of the penalty area and Callum Elder bent his shot at pace into the top-right corner.
Haji Wright made no mistake when Coventry won a penalty in the 25th minute, but the home side levelled in first-half added time after Thomas handled a cross and Carlton Morris coolly rolled in the penalty.
Five minutes into the second half Derby were ahead. A long throw dropped to Adams who placed a low shot into the bottom corner from 10 yards, but the game changed again as Coventry scored twice in the space of four minutes. Another long throw in the 72nd minute was headed by Thomas against a post and Thomas-Asante bundled the ball over the line.
Derby were caught cold three minutes later when Milan van Ewijk got in on the right and crossed for Mason-Clark to head in at the back post. Four minutes later Coventry had a fifth with Torp given space just inside the area to fire a low shot in off the left post to seal their first win at Derby in 11 matches.
Coventry make three changes to their starting line-up after the 3-0 win at Swansea a fortnight ago. Romain Esse, Liam Kitching and Josh Eccles come in for Ephron Mason-Clark, who drops to the bench, and Joel Latibeaudiere and Brandon Thomas-Asante, who miss out altogether (the former rested, the latter hamstrung).
Derby also make three changes, following the 1-0 win over Birmingham City two weeks back. David Ozoh, Carlton Morris and Jaydon Banel come in for Patrick Agyemang, who drops to the bench, and the injured pair of Sammie Szmodics and Rhian Brewster.
The teams
Coventry City: Rushworth, van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Dasilva, Grimes, Onyeka, Sakamoto, Eccles, Esse, Simms.
Subs: Wilson, Rudoni, Mason-Clark, Wright, Kesler-Hayden, Bidwell, Markelo, Woolfenden, Overgaard.
Derby County: O’Donnell, Ward, Sanderson, Clarke, Murkin, Banel, Travis, Clark, Brereton Diaz, Morris, Ozoh.
Subs: Forsyth, Batth, Agyemang, Liam Thompson, Fraulo, Gordon, Allen, Smith, Price.
Referee: Tom Nield (West Yorkshire).
Preamble
Today’s earlier results in the Championship didn’t go too badly for Coventry City. Millwall won 2-1 at Middlesbrough, while Hull City were held 1-1 at Oxford United, and so …
… Frank Lampard’s side have the opportunity to extend a lead that stood this morning at nine points to an extremely comfortable 11. They’d then require just eight points from their remaining six fixtures to guarantee Premier League membership next season.
But this is no gimme. Derby blow hot and cold – they’ve won six and lost four of their previous ten in the Championship – but four of those victories have come in the last five. A campaign that started with the Rams flapping around the lower reaches has picked up some serious momentum, and a play-off finish is now very much within reach. So both of these famous midlands clubs have plenty to play for tonight. Kick-off is at 8pm BST. It’s on!
