The Rams lost to the Reds in Monday night’s Championship game amid more injury woes.
Derby County’s Championship playoff hopes have suffered a blow as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Nottingham Forest in Monday night’s East Midlands derby at the City Ground.
The Rams had not lost to the Reds in the league since 2015 prior to kickoff but Yohan Benalouane’s early goal, which came about after the visitors failed to clear a Joe Lolley inswinger, proved the difference between the two sides.
Martyn Waghorn spurned a superb opportunity for Frank Lampard’s side, finding himself with just Costel Pantilimon to beat but sending his chip curling wide of the goal, and apart from that, the Rams failed to truly threaten the hosts.
Speaking after the game, Lampard had to deliver bad news to the Derby faithful in the shape of yet more injuries piling up, with Craig Bryson missing the game due to a foot injury and Andy King, his replacement, coming off with an ankle problem.
“Andy King will be out for at least two weeks, possibly more,” the Rams boss told the Derby Telegraph. “Bryson will be out for two or three weeks.”
Lampard then gave further updates on other sidelined players, adding: “Mason (Mount) is still at least a week away, Tom Lawrence probably similar. I don’t think they will be back for the weekend. Lawrence might have a chance.”
He then bemoaned the situation regarding his missing players and admitted that Derby have not got by without those key men in their ranks in the last few weeks, insisting “they have to” learn to cope without them.
“They are big players for us,” he said. “With Mason and Tom, and Bryson, they were three mainstays of our team for big parts of the first half of the season. So it is a test for the squad, and it is a test for us all to look at how we get by without them. We haven’t done that in the last three games, and we have to because they are out.”
Up next for Derby, who are seventh in the Championship table and two points adrift of the playoffs, is Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.
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