Lampard Could Not Fault His Players' Effort

Manager Frank Lampard could not fault the effort of his players but felt a point was probably a fair result as Derby County drew 0-0 at home to local rivals Nottingham Forest on Monday evening.

Harry Wilson had Derby’s best chance of the game in the second half but he was met by a stubborn Costel Pantilimon, who kept out his fierce left-foot effort.

The Rams were unable to find the winner against the Reds, and asked whether a point was a fair result, Lampard responded to RamsTV: “In general play, possibly yes.

“It was a derby, it was full-blooded, and the quality levels were not at their highest which can happen in a derby fixture. Both teams gave it their all.

“We had some chances to score, as they did, but they will say they are happy with the result. We want to win at home so I’m disappointed on that front, but another clean sheet is another big positive for us.

“The fact that we had a stonewall penalty that should have been for us is clear in our minds. Everyone in the stadium saw it. It wasn’t a difficult decision, everyone saw it and the referee got it wrong.

“In terms of our play, we can be better than what we are tonight but for effort, commitment and desire, it was bang on. The desire was there to win the game but it just didn’t quite go.”

It’s the second game in succession that the Rams have kept a clean sheet and that is something which pleased the manager.

“We defended well,” he said. “I thought Fikayo Tomori and Richard Keogh were very good again. Scott Carson made one fantastic save that I can remember. The clean sheet and a point in the context in the league isn’t the worst for us.

“We need to keep going. The games come thick and fast. Forest has been a hard game and Bristol City will be exactly the same. It’s up to us to stay fresh, use the squad and hopefully we can kick on a little bit.”

It was Lampard’s first experience of an East Midlands Derby.

“I enjoyed the passion of the fans,” he admitted. “I enjoyed the feeling of an evening game and the players gave everything.

“We need our home fans and they turned out in their numbers tonight. We need them vocal, support the players and we need to give them entertainment. It’s a joint effort and we have done well so far so we need them.”