A quick-fire brace from Rob Hulse handed Derby County a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Coventry City at Pride Park Stadium this evening.

The powerful striker fired home two well-taken goals in the early stages of the second half as Nigel Clough's men came from a goal down to take all three points after Leon Best's early opener for Coventry.

The visitors' cause wasn't helped when they were reduced to ten men just after the hour when Jordan Clarke was dismissed for two yellow cards - and it could have been worse had Hulse not seen his late penalty saved by Coventry goalkeeper Dimi Konstantopolos with a hat-trick looming.

Derby were boosted by the returns of key trio Hulse, Dean Leacock and Paul Green after spells on the sidelines for the visit of the Sky Blues.

Green was returning after two months out with a foot problem and he was immediately restored to the starting XI, while illness and mumps had kept Hulse and Leacock out of action in previous games.

Jay McEveley and Miles Addison took the returning total to five with places on the bench.

Derby started positively by getting the ball down and putting the visitors under early pressure, but after just four minutes the visitors opened the scoring with their first attack.

A ball into the box from the left by Freddy Eastwood was only half-cleared by the Derby defence and fell invitingly to Leon Best who made no mistake with a well executed right-foot volley into the far corner beyond the helpless Bywater.

Derby quickly chased an equaliser and Leacock was agonisingly close on his return to his first-ever Rams goal but his right-foot shot was deflected just wide for a corner.

From Teale's resultant flag-kick Hulse won the ball with a header that landed straight into Konstantopoulos' arms.

Derby kept the pressure going and Hulse turned neatly in the box to get a shot away which, like Leacock, was deflected just wide. This time however, the Referee somehow failed to spot the deflection which took the ball of target and awarded Coventry a goal-kick.

The Rams had a claim for a penalty waved away when Ward slid in on Barker inside the area after another Derby corner, but Mr Crossley waved the appeals away.

Stoor had to be called into last-gasp heroics at the back with a clearance to deny Eastwood an opportunity at the far post from Best's cross as Coventry enjoyed a spell of pressure in the Rams half.

Gary Teale - with three goals to his name this season already - cut in from the left seven minutes before the break and let fly with a powerful drive which whistled just wide as Derby stepped up the pressure.

Stephen Pearson also tried his luck from range before the half was out, but he too was off target.

In first-half injury-time Derby could have been further behind when Best latched onto a long ball forwards to advance clear on goal, but Moxey sprinted back to nick the ball off the Republic of Ireland striker and clear.

Derby had a glorious chance to level in first-half injury-time when Pearson showed some neat footwork to find space in the box to deliver a perfect ball across to the on-rushing Dickov but from six-yards out he somehow blazed over.

Derby kicked off the second period strongly and a teasing Stoor cross kept Konstantopoulos on his toes with the ball dipping just under the bar he was forced to tip the ball over.

However just seconds later Derby were back on level terms.

A neat ball by into the box from deep by Dickov picked out Hulse inside the box, and he superbly controlled the ball on his chest and then let fly with a neat half-volley with the outside of his right boot, and the ball flew into the net for his fourth goal of the campaign.

It was a moment of pure class from Hulse, who was also on target in the same fixture last season.

That sparked the Rams crowd into life and they were tremendously vocal in cheering their side on.

On the hour Teale went on a mazy run down the left which resulted in a dangerous cross-shot that evaded everyone and screwed just wide of the far post.

And as Derby upped the pressure, they got their just rewards as Dickov never gave up a lost cause from Pearson's deep cross and he pulled the ball back to his strike partner Hulse eight yards out and he crashed the ball low and hard into the back of the net to put Derby ahead for the first time in the game.

Coventry's frustrations boiled over immediately afterwards, and it cost the visitors dearly as Clarke was shown a second yellow card by Mr Crossley for a foul on Savage. Coventry's players were fuming and hotly contested the decision, but regardless Clarke was given his marching orders.

The game failed to settle for around five minutes after the action-packed two minutes, although Derby did have an opportunity to extend their lead during that spell but Pearson's stinging drive from twenty-five yards was saved by Konstantopolos.

Addison made his return after being sidelined since the end of September by replacing Leacock twelve minutes from time, and received a huge round of applause from the Derby faithful - and Croft soon followed in place of Dickov.

Hulse was given the chance to complete his hat-trick after Croft was brought down by Hussey inside the area with eight minutes to go, but he was denied by Konstantopolos who dived full length to his left to turn the spot-kick away.

The returning Green was replaced late on by Livermore as Derby saw out the closing stages to secure a well-earned three points.

Derby County: Bywater, Stoor, Leacock (Addison 78), Barker, Moxey, Savage, Pearson, Green (Livermore 88), Teale, Hulse, Dickov (Croft 80)
Subs: Atkins, Connolly, McEveley,  Hughes
Booked: Dickov
Goals: Hulse (49 & 61)

Coventry City: Konstantopolos, Clarke, Van Annholt (Hussey 67), Ward, Barnett, Cork (McIndoe 67), Osbourne, Gunnarsson, Eastwood (Bell 76), Best, Morrison 
Subs: Ireland, Grandison,, Madine, Jeffers
Booked: Barnett, Van Annholt, Clarke, Hussey
Sent Off: Clarke
Goals: Best (4)

Referee: Mr P Crossley

Attendance: 26,511 (681 Coventry City Supporters)

Derby County Man of the Match, powered by Collstream: Rob Hulse