Nigel Clough could not hide his disappointment at seeing his Derby County side bow out of the Carling Cup last night.

Clough said he was 'unbelievably' disappointed to see his side suffer a 1-0 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.

Shaun Barker's own goal condemned Derby to defeat at Gresty Road, despite the Rams dominating for long spells.

"We are unbelievably disappointed to say the least to go out for the second year running to a League Two side," said Clough.

"We were disappointing in the first half hour, and then settled down in the final fifteen minutes without threatening too much.

"It was almost a little too comfortable and then we gave a goal away at a very bad time.

"It gave them something to hang on to and work that little bit harder for, which they did.

"Credit to Crewe, they are a good side and they are capable of beating sides from higher leagues on their day."

Clough admitted a lack of conviction and a slow start ultimately cost his side.

He said: "We didn't have enough conviction and we sometimes kept the ball for too many touches.

"On Saturday we were out the traps quickly, and if you start slowly it is hard to pick the tempo up."

The Derby boss also felt his side should have been awarded a late penalty when Rob Hulse was felled in the area.

"From where we were looking at it, it looked a clear penalty on Rob," admitted Clough.

Derby have the opportunity to bounce back from the defeat on Saturday when they welcome Cardiff City to Pride Park.