Late Conor Hourihane Goal Gives Derby County a Thrilling Victory over Burton Albion

Captain Conor Hourihane’s injury-time winner sent Derby County up to third in the League One table and inflicted a harsh defeat on Burton Albion in Martin Paterson’s first game in charge.

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Tom Barkhuizen had put the Rams ahead with a sliding first-half finish after Burton goalkeeper Max Crocombe made an excellent double save moments earlier. James Collins doubled Derby’s advantage with a header immediately after the break, only for Steve Seddon to find the bottom corner with a superb response four minutes later.

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Manchester United loanee Joe Hugill came off the bench to level on his Burton debut, but Derby’s relentless search for a winner ended with Hourihane sending Pride Park into rapture on a freezing East Midlands night. A win by two goals or more would have sent the Rams up to second, but a clinical second half from the Brewers – under a rookie manager in only his fifth day on the job – denied them the chance.

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Still, a 10th win in 12 league games has Derby level on points with second-placed Peterborough, while the loss leaves Burton 19th in the table and five points above the relegation places.

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Derby heaped incessant first-half pressure on their near neighbours from east Staffordshire, and sent two early opportunities over the bar, with Hourihane and Curtis Nelson both off target.

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While Crocombe made an excellent double save to deny both Mendez-Laing and Callum Elder midway through the half, Barkhuizen gave the Rams a deserved lead on 29 minutes.

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The midfielder showed great strength to hold off a defender and slide the ball home at the back post after Mendez-Laing whipped a perfectly weighted low ball across the face of goal.

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Collins’ close-range header for his 17th goal of the season had Derby closing in on the automatic promotion places, but with Burton’s first shot on target Seddon had Paterson’s Brewers back in the game and Derby rattled. Seddon then provided the decisive pass to set Hugill free to level, marking a momentous night for himself and his new boss.

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But it was not enough to earn Burton the point their hard work warranted.

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After Barkhuizen had an effort deflected wide and Collins sliced a shot off target, Hourihane eventually delivered the winner with a volleyed effort from the edge of the box after Burton failed to clear the danger.

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Derby County head coach Paul Warne told BBC Radio Derby: “We were good for 50 minutes then we had a wobble. I thought we were on a rollercoaster a little bit then, and that’s what disappointed me a bit with the performance. And fair play to Burton, I thought they made it really difficult for us. They sank in a little bit and made it difficult to break them down and we tried to force things. For the captain to score late on was great, I don’t know if we deserved it on chances created but if nothing else, it was entertaining for the neutrals. I bet the neutrals are happy, but I lost at least three weeks of my life with that.”

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Burton Albion boss Martin Paterson told BBC Radio Derby: “When you lose like that, emotional control is really key for me. You feel terrible, but the positive you take from it is that it is Derby, it is a packed house, and they are absolutely delighted. You saw how they celebrated that last-minute goal, my group has pushed them to that point where it is euphoria. The message to the supporters and the players especially is that we don’t like losing. We are not going to be a team that accepts it at all, I don’t care where we go in this league, we want points and positive results. But ultimately performances are the glue that holds it together, and I have to say my group gave me absolutely everything.”