3/1 To Win
Saturday was a history-making day for Matej Vydra and Derby County.
For Vydra, he struck three times to secure a second career hat trick and his first ever one in the league.
For the Rams, it was a first victory away at Middlesbrough in over 17 years.
And what a win it was!
After soaking up all the pressure Boro had to offer, Vydra struck first with a thunderous shot inside the box just after 13 minutes of play.
His second then came almost immediately after the half-time restart from the penalty spot, and his all-important third came on 63 minutes after he capitalised on a mistake made by Darren Randolph.
Vydra’s outstanding performance secured himself the match ball, but he told us that it won’t be going in his trophy cabinet.
“I’m going to give the match ball to my father,” Vydra told RamsTV. “I always give all my trophies and balls to him.
“I hope he was happy this afternoon and I look forward to talking to him about the game.”
Reflecting on the match itself, Vydra explained: “It’s a hard place to come to and they played well in the first half but we scored first.
“The second half was much better from us. We kept the ball, we scored the early penalty and then we were playing against ten men.
“Now we can step forward from this performance looking ahead to the two games and try to win both.”
The turn of the new millennium was the last time Derby managed to overturn Boro on their home turf.
Jim Smith’s Rams ran out as 4-1 winners back then and going into the game, Derby’s winless streak in Teesside was something that Vydra was very much aware of.
“Before the game, I spoke with my agent and told him that Derby haven’t won for 17 years at Middlesbrough and he told me to go and change history,” the forward added.
“Now we have a very good chance to step up because we have won a very hard game away from home.
“From what I’ve seen, teams always struggle when they come to Pride Park and always look for the point.
“If you compare my goal record last season to this season, there is a big difference but that is football life and I’m just trying to do my best for me and my team mates.”
