First Division: Derby seek elusive third straight win
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Your support makes all the difference.It is a sign of the hard times Derby County have endured that a win against Sunderland today could see them achieve something last done five years ago, namely to chalk up a third consecutive victory.
They have not managed three in a row since September 1998, during what turned out to be their best season in the Premiership under Jim Smith, when the team built around the Italian skills of Ciccio Baiano and Stefano Eranio finished eighth.
George Burley took on a huge task when he succeeded John Gregory as manager and the portents did not look good for the former Ipswich Town manager when Derby slipped to the bottom of the First Division table after losing four of their first five matches.
But back-to-back wins over Walsall and Watford have lifted them to 18th and vindicated some brave decisions on Burley's part, not the least of which was to introduce the 16-year-old winger Lee Holmes against the Hornets in midweek, a move which won the game after Derby's 10-man opponents had threatened to lock up a point.
Holmes, who became Derby's youngest senior player when he made his debut at 15 years and 268 days last season, supplied the crosses from which Mathias Svensson and the Brazilian, Junior, two strikers signed by Burley, turned the game around. Holmes will be in the squad again today.
"I feel the two strikers will score goals if we can get them the service, which is why I brought Lee on, so we could play with two wingers," Burley said. "Everybody needed the two victories after the slow start to the season. But if we can get our game going against Sunderland, we can win that one too.
"Sunderland are a good team," he added. "They have just come down from the Premiership and have some good players. But we are improving and although we still have a lot to do, the signs are encouraging."
Today's match was to have been the last for Svensson but Charlton have agreed to extend the Swede's loan by another month, making him available for six more matches. Burley would like to make the move permanent, although with a restricted salary structure the striker would certainly need to accept a drop in wages.
"Matt has made a difference, he gives us strength up front," Burley said. "He is forming an understanding with Junior. That has a long way to go yet, but having Matt for another month will help the partnership to develop further."
Sunderland, having shown signs of a mounting challenge after the ignominy of their 17-match losing run, need to recover quickly from their 3-1 reverse at Stoke but will miss Jason McAteer and Matt Piper, both likely to out of action for the next month or so due to injury.
The defeat at the Britannia Stadium followed four straight wins but the manager, Mick McCarthy, warned: "We won't go through this division winning every game, so you have to be ready for the ups and the downs."
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