‘That’s Why We Brought Him In’

Gary Rowett praised the impact of substitute Sam Winnall after he grabbed Derby County’s equaliser in yesterday’s 1-1 Sky Bet Championship draw against Birmingham City.

The on-loan Sheffield Wednesday frontman scored within two minutes of coming off the bench at Pride Park Stadium to earn the Rams a share of the spoils.

After falling behind to Lukas Jutkiewicz’s opener just after the hour mark, Winnall quickly got Derby back onto level terms with a close-range header after good work by Mason Bennett and skipper Richard Keogh.

Winnall joined Derby from the Owls at the end of the summer transfer window for the remainder of the campaign and his goal against the Blues was his first in a Rams shirt.

Rowett admitted following the game that the forward had offered ‘food for thought’ and, as a result, could be in line his first Derby start in Tuesday’s midweek clash at Brentford.

He told RamsTV: “That’s why we brought him in. He’s a goalscorer, he’s hungry and you saw that with his overall performance when he came onto the pitch.

“He made a difference and got that goal too.

“It was a good time to us get back into the game after going behind so it was an important goal and he has given us food for thought.”

Rowett also felt that Winnall’s desire, as well as goalscoring impact, caught the eye.

He said: “With the desire that he shows, one or two players need to look at that because it’s what us and the crowd want to see.”