Ipswich 1-0 Derby match report: The Daily Mirror verdict

Defender David Wright gave Roy Keane’s Ipswich a first win of the season and declared: “The monkey is finally off our back.”

The recalled full-back got upfield on 66 minutes to head home a Liam Rosenior cross.

Wright’s effort gave the bottom of the table Blues their first three point haul at the 15th attempt.

The ex-Wigan and Crewe man said: “We didn’t play well. But you get three points for a scruffy win, just as you do for a magnificent win.

”This player, who celebrated his 100th Ipswich appearance with a fifth goal, went on: “The manager says that it’s no good being half hearted. So I went all the way up and had a go.

“The monkey is finally off our back. A win was long, long overdue and hopefully now we can go off onto a good run.”

Wright only returned to the first team three weeks ago after a start to the season that has seen him training for much of the time with the reserves and youths.

“There was no point moping. I had to get my head down and get on with it. I feel I’ve done that,” said Wright.

Keane’s men just shaded a match against opposition managed by his former Nottingham Forest team-mate Nigel Clough.

But with 16 senior players injured, Cloughie senior left Portman Road feeling justly proud of his players.

Keane admitted: “We didn’t play well. We huffed and puffed. We won ugly. This win has been such a long time coming. It’s the very, very least our wonderful supporters deserve.

“On several occasions this season we’ve played much better than that and have lost.”The ex-Manchester United skipper takes with a pinch of salt suggestions that his team can now go off on a run to make the Championship play-offs.

“We’ve a hell of a long way to go. The only target I’ve got is picking the next team,” stressed Keane.

Derby defender Shaun Barker said that his outfit had suffered a “harsh result.”

He explained: “Injuries and illness thwarted us. We are down to bare bones. But we came to set our stall out and we played well. We passed it well and created chances.“

Ipswich scored from their first real chance. Then we had clear cut chances but could not make them count.”

Boss Clough said that his club had enquired with the Football League about getting the game called off

.He boasted: “No club in the country, with 16 players out, could put up a performance like that. Football authorities want you to play games and get teams out. So we have to go along with that.”

Ipswich substitute striker Tamas Priskin could have sealed the win for his team. But he ran through only to lose the battle with Rams stopper Stephen Bywater.

Right at the death, the visitors midfield man Bryan Hughes squandered a good chance to glean a point for his side. But he fired over when well placed from an angle.

IPSWICH: Begovic 8, D. Wright 7, Delaney 7, Bruce 8, Leadbitter 6, Stead 5, (Sub Priskin 59, 6), Walters 8, Rosenior 7, Edwards 6, (Sub Peters 73, 5), Quinn 6, Trotter 6, (Sub Counago 59, 5). Unused subs. R. Wright Colback, Healy, Brown.

DERBY: Bywater 7, Connolly 6, Savage 7, Teale 7, Barker 7, Pearson 6, (Sub Mills 85), Moxey 7, Livermore 6, (Sub Croft 79), Dickov 7, Stoor 6, Hughes 6. Unused subs: Deeny, Buxton, Dudley.Referee: Mr. A. Taylor 8.