3 things we clearly learnt about Derby County after their 2-1 victory over Stoke City | OneFootball

Derby County made a return to winning ways in the Championship yesterday as they secured all three points in their clash with Stoke City.

The Rams opened the scoring at Pride Park in the 31st minute as Max Bird scored a spectacular goal.

Curtis Davies then doubled Derby’s advantage as he headed home from Graeme Shinnie’s cross.

Whilst Tom Ince did reduce the deficit by netting his first goal of the season in the second-half, Stoke were unable to break down the Rams during the closing stages of the game.

With the dust having now settled from this particular fixture, here are THREE things that we clearly learnt about Derby after their 2-1 victory over Stoke.

Max Bird should be a mainstay in the club’s starting eleven

A stand-out performer for Derby in yesterday’s showdown with Stoke, Bird managed to illustrate why he should be a mainstay in the club’s starting eleven.

As well as scoring a superb goal for his side, the midfielder made two tackles during the game and completed 84.4% of his passes as he recorded a WhoScored match rating of 7.44.

Love the EFL? Want to share your opinions about your club? Get involved by subscribing to FLW TV on Youtube HERE!

By featuring regularly for Derby this season, Bird could potentially make considerable strides in terms of his development.

Derby’s home form will be vital this season as they look to stay in the Championship

With Derby now set to enter administration as a result of their ongoing financial issues, they are in line to receive a 12-point deduction.

Now set to face an uphill battle to secure survival this season, the Rams may need to turn Pride Park into a fortress if they are to have any chance of retaining their place in the Championship next year.

24 questions about some of Derby County’s best ever strikers – Can get 100% correct?

1 of 24

Which of these strikers is Derby County's record goalscorer?

Steve Bloomer

Kevin Hector

Bobby Davison

Harry Bedford

Having secured their first home league victory on Saturday, Derby will now be determined to pick up positive results in-front of their supporters on a regular basis in the coming months.

This particular group of players possess a tremendous amount of character

Derby’s players managed to illustrate a great deal of character yesterday as the uncertainty surrounding the club could have had a major impact on their performance against Stoke.

However, the Rams delivered a professional display to secure an eye-catching victory over a Potters side who are currently fifth in the Championship standings.

If Derby continue to fight for results during the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign, their players will earn a great deal of respect from the club’s supporters.