Injuries and fine margins against Derby
Injuries and fine margins against Derby
John Bennett - Final Score at Pride ParkSun, October 18, 2026 at 10:06 AM UTC
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The fine margins never seem to go your way when you're struggling in the relegation zone and that was certainly the case for Derby County on Saturday.
Stoke City's winner goes in off the post but meanwhile, at the other end, Derby sub Rhian Brewster saw his second-half effort bounce wide off the woodwork. And to add to that, in the 89th minute, Stoke keeper Viktor Johansson came up with what looked, from my position in the press seats, to be one of the best diving saves I've seen all season.
So in the technical area, just a few rows down from where I was sitting, the pressure ramped up on Derby boss John Eustace.
I was interested to check out the fan reaction at full-time and of course there was disappointment but I was impressed by the way the supporters had backed the team during this tough time.
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Maybe that's down to what surely is the longest injury list in the Championship right now, which is severely hampering Eustace's chances of turning this around.
Lewis Travis was the latest player to limp off on Saturday, proving yet again that when you're a struggling side it never rains but it pours.
In the post-match press conference Eustace said he was pleased by the response to a heavy midweek defeat by QPR. But he added that he was frustrated and angry about their current predicament.
He also stressed how proud he was of the effort from his players and I have to say, I certainly saw a group of players who seemed to be still fighting for their manager. The work rate is there and the endeavour is there but, from what I witnessed, it's creative quality that seems to be desperately lacking at this present time.
Eustace now has to hope that he can get some of those key players out of the treatment room and out on to the pitch before patience from the supporters runs out.
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