Derby County 0-1 Ipswich Town – Half-Time
Saturday, 7th Feb 2026 13:28
Former Blues loanee Lewis Travis’s eighth-minute own goal has given Town a 1-0 half-time lead over Derby County at Pride Park.
Boss Kieran McKenna made one change from the team which drew 1-1 at home to Preston North End last week with Jack Taylor coming into the team for Jens Cajuste.
The Sweden international dropped to the bench in an unchanged 20-man squad with Dan Neil still awaiting his debut
Derby made three changes from the side which thrashed Bristol City 5-0 at Ashton Gate last week with left-back Derry Murkin, who signed from Utrecht on deadline day, and centre-half Danny Batth starting at the back with centre-half Dion Sanderson and former Blues loanee Callum Elder both missing out on a place in the squad.
Josh Vickers was in goal for his first Championship start of the season with Richard O’Donnell dropping to the bench.
Barham-born former Blues youngster Matt Clarke started at the back with Travis skippering in midfield. Sammie Szmodics, who joined the Rams on loan earlier in the week, was ineligible against his parent club.
The game got under way but immediately stopped when Batth clattered into Darnell Furlong on the edge of the Town area.
The former Wolves man continued after his bleeding nose had been attended to, then referee Josh Smith ordered him over to the touchline for further treatment and a numberless shirt in the third minute. While he was doing so, keeper Vickers took to the turf and called over a physio before carrying on.
Town fans weren’t overly convinced there was an injury in Vickers’s case, Derby injury stoppages having led to 16 minutes of additional time in the Portman Road fixture earlier in the season.
But that was forgotten in the eighth minute when the Blues went ahead from the second of two corners.
After the initial flag-kick had been half-cleared, Clarke looped it towards the back of the box, Ben Brereton Diaz nodding behind.
Anis Mehmeti sent over the resultant corner from the left and, having allowed his man Wes Burns to get in front of him, Travis flicked a header into the far corner of the net to send the Town fans at the other end of the ground wild having witnessed only the third Blues first-half away goal this season.
Travis, who never scored during his spell on loan with Town in the second half of the Championship promotion 2023/24 season, held his head in his hands.
The former Blackburn Rovers man continued his disastrous start to the game, referee Smith showing him a yellow card in the 13th minute for a foul on Mehmeti.
Town continued to dominate and three minutes later, Azor Matusiwa’s clever pass put Ivan Azon in on goal but ex-Blues defender Clarke slid in well to deny the Spaniard a shot at goal.
On 17, Jack Clarke’s equally deft pass fed in Mehmeti on the left of the area but Vickers was quickly off his line to block.
The home side, who had spent virtually all the game pinned back in their own half, attacked for the first time in the 22nd minute, Brereton Diaz crossing from the right but Patrick Agyemang, a player the Blues were interested in in the summer prior to this move to the Rams, was unable to get anything on it at the near post.
Derby began to see more of the ball and on the half hour, Taylor was booked for a foul on Rhian Brewster on halfway, a harsh-looking decision.
On 32, Mehmeti broke down the middle for the Blues and fed Clarke on the left. The winger cut the ball back and caught Batth and looped into Vickers’s arms somewhat fortunately with a second own goal potentially on the cards.
Mehmeti joined Taylor in the referee’s book in the 33rd minute for a bite at Travis’s ankles after the ball had gone.
As half-time approached, Derby were on top but without managing a shot until the 44th minute when Brewster sent an effort across the face and well wide from a tight angle on the right.
Referee Smith, who was booed off by the home support as he made his way off at the break, went from penalising minor physical contact for much of the half to allowing Batth to smash through the back of Azon, much to the striker’s frustration.
As the half moved into an additional two minutes, Clarke won the ball from Joe Ward on the Town left on halfway and brought it forward before finding Azon, whose shot was blocked by Matt Clarke.
That was the last action of a half which the Blues began very strongly, getting their goal through Travis’s error.
Town will feel they should have made that spell count further in terms of goals with Derby coming into it more in the second half of the period, Azon and Mehmeti both having been put through on goal.
However, the Rams hadn’t created a serious chance, while the Blues had looked a threat on the break, although not always making the most of their opportunities to counter-attack.
Derby: Vickers, Murkin, Batth, Clarke, Agyemang, Brewster, Ozoh, Ward, Brereton Diaz, Travis (c), Clark. Subs: O’Donnell, Forsyth, Salvesen, Thompson, Fraulo, Banel, Eames, Canoville, Allen.
Town: Walton, Furlong, O’Shea (c), Kipre, Davis, Matusiwa, Taylor, Burns, Mehmeti, Clarke, Azon. Subs: Palmer, Greaves, Johnson, Neil, Cajuste, Walle Egeli, McAteer, Akpom, Hirst. Referee: Josh Smith (Peterborough).
Photo: Matchday Images
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