Davies: “We Got What We Deserved”

Central defender Curtis Davies was left frustrated as Derby County were beaten at home for the first time this season on Saturday by losing 2-1 against Blackburn Rovers.

The Rams’ five game unbeaten run came to an end with a disappointing defeat at Pride Park Stadium as Ben Brereton Diaz’s first half brace secured Rovers all three points.

Derby did rally in the second half and were the better of the two sides.

Davies reduced the arrears with a minute of normal time remaining, and deep into stoppage time, Colin Kazim-Richards struck the post, but the Rams suffered defeat on home turf for the first time this season.

Davies, who has two goals for the Rams this season, bemoaned Derby’s first-half display and felt that was what cost the team.

“We got what we deserved,” he admitted, chatting to RamsTV after the game. “When you rally in the second half and give it everything and get clapped off because of your efforts, but don’t start from minute zero, then we don’t deserve anything.

“We could have been four goals down at half time. The first half was a disgrace by our standards.

"The way we have played with and without the ball defensively, as a back line, as a collective and individually, we were nowhere near it.

“We couldn’t get to grips with them tactically or physically. They outfought us, which I hate saying, and they won every second ball. We were 2-0 down at half-time relived that it was only two and to come out in the second half and give it a reaction was the bare minimum.

“Ultimately the game is done and dusted as much as we dominated large parts of the second half, Blackburn are able to take a back seat and watch everything unfold in front of them because they had a two-goal lead.

“I would rather be in their position than ours in that second half where we’re holding on to a lead so it’s frustrating. It’s not like us and we have to be better on Wednesday at Barnsley because the games come around quickly.

“Wednesday will come and then Millwall next Saturday will come fast too. We have a two-week break after that so we need to exert every bit of energy that we’ve got in the next two games and we have a good rest to get it right before the Christmas run.”

It is the first time the Rams have fell behind at home this season, and Davies offered some thought as to why he felt his side did not start well.

“We had a couple of lax days in training this week and it does count,” he said. “We didn’t start at all.

“You have to give credit to Blackburn. They were good, had high energy, have good players, Brereton Diaz has been like prime Marcelo Salas since he has changed his name. He’s got the goals and is the form player in the league and you can’t let him in those positions, and we did.

“He got two goals and there were times we got away with a couple. When you play against form players, you can’t give them that sort of space and opportunity. He took those opportunities and it was just a poor first half which we just want to wipe from our memories forever.”

Despite losing the game, Davies did add his name to the scoresheet once more and is hoping that spirited ending will cause a positive reaction for Wednesday’s trip to Barnsley.

“The goal was a scramble in the box,” he explained. “My job is to go up from set pieces and I just hooked my foot on the ball and it goes in so I’m happy to get the team back in it. We could have nicked a draw in the end.

“I flicked it on for Colin Kazim-Richards and he was unlucky not to score but we wouldn’t have deserved that. We would have taken it but we wouldn’t have deserved it. It’s our first defeat here and only our fourth defeat of the season; so we won’t get too carried away with it.

“We know it’s a blip but it’s only a blip if we react on Wednesday with a positive performance and hopefully a positive result too.”