ALBION slipped to defeat in the A38 Derby although Derby County only had David McGoldrick’s 63rd minute penalty to show for their efforts in defeating the Brewers.
With everything all to play for at both ends of the table both sides desperately wanted the three points, Albion to secure League One safety once and for all and The Rams to keep alive their chances of making the Play-offs.
Albion looked bright early on and should have gone in front when Deji Oshilaja fired against the woodwork. Derby though grew into the game but despite dominating possession struggled to open up the Brewers rearguard with McGoldrick finally settling a tight affair from the penalty spot after Joe Powell had fouled Max Bird whilst trying to clear the ball from his own box.
Dino Maamria opted to revert to the starting eleven that toppled league leaders Sheffield Wednesday seven days previously at the Pirelli Stadium. That meant returns to the eleven for Conor Shaughnessy and Mustapha Carayol as Charlie Kirk and Jonny Smith dropped to the bench having started against Bolton in midweek. Both benches featured strikers to have featured for the opposing club with Albion having Sam Winnall available and Derby able to call upon James Collins.
Both sides spent the early minutes getting a feel for the game and probing for openings. Mark Helm produced the first attempt on goal on eight minutes with a low 25 yard effort that was a comfortable save for Rams keeper Joe Wildsmith.
Albion really should have been ahead three minutes later when good work fro Dale Taylor, coming deep to gather possession slipped Oshilaja in on goal but from twelve yards out his low shot across Wildsmith bounced back off the far post.
That near miss seemed to spark Derby out of their early lethargy and fort a spell the Rams threatened in and around the Burton box. Leading scorer McGoldrick was well placed on the quarter of an hour mark as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing broke down the left but Zac Ashworth got back on the cover to deny McGoldrick as he looked to test Craig MacGillivray. Ashworth was also well placed when Derby attacked again on eighteen minutes heading away from danger when Bird looked to place his own header on target.
Powell kept the Derby keeper busy with a curling effort on 29 minutes and the Rams keeper was happy to fumble it around the post with Taylor lurking.
Mendez-Laing and McGoldrick was looking the most likely combination to unpick the Brewers defence but that was denied again on 37 minutes before Eiran Cashin lashed a long range effort over the bar, rising all the way from thirty yards out.
Louie Sibley almost put the ball on a plate for Mendez-Laing as Derby attacked down the right this time on 39 minutes but even the tall forward could not quite stretch enough to connect with the teasing cross through the six-yard box.
Powell attempted an audacious long range effort after intercepting Cashin’s loose pass and with Wildsmith off his line it was certainly worth a go but his effort flew high over the bar.
Derby enjoyed some late pressure around the Albio box as the first half edged to a close but MacGillivray’s goal was well protected as Albion went in level at the break with a chance to reset.
Half time: Derby County 0-0 Burton Albion
Referee Ben Toner showed Oshilaja a yellow card four minutes into the second half after the Albion man blocked an attempted cross from the left with his arm but Albion were able to deal with the free kick from just outside the box as Derby looked for a swift start to the second period.
The home side certainly seemed to be posing more of a threat and when Haydon Roberts’ cross was saved by MacGillivray at the near post the ball cannoned back off Shaughnessy and looped over the crossbar, just, clipping the woodwork as it did so.
McGoldrick stung the palms of MacGillivray on the hour mark as the home side increased the pressure and as Derby maintained the pressure with a series of corners, Powell bundled into the back of Max Bird as he tried to clear giving McGOLDRICK the chance to slot home from the penalty spot, his 25th goal of the season.
Albion turned to their bench on 71 minutes with Smith replacing Carayol and bringing fresh legs in an attempt to get Albion higher up the pitch in search of an equaliser.
McGoldrick had a clear sight of goal on 78 minutes as Derby looked to double their advantage but after shaking off the attentions of Hughes and Moon his tame effort was comfortably saved low to his right by MacGillivray.
Albion threw on more attacking reinforcements with ten minutes remaining as Josh Walker and Winnall entered the fray, Ashworth and Oshilaja the duo to make way.
MacGillivray denied McGoldrick with a superb save on 83 minutes as the striker peeled away to meet Mendez-Laing’s cross, Jason Knight denied by the Burton keeper with a follow-up header.
Former Rams man Brayford planted a header agonisingly over the bar on 85 minutes from Powell’s corner as Albion sought that one late chance to grab an equaliser.
McGoldrick was determined to put the game to bed on 87 minutes picking Hughes’ pocket close to the touchline before working his way into the box but MacGillivray was equally determined not to be beaten again.
Albion enjoyed late pressure with a couple of testing corners as they looked to play on home nerves and they pushed forward to the last, although almost cost them with the last moment of the game, Substitute Tom Barkhuizen using his fresher legs to break forwards and get into the box but his ball across MacGillivray evaded the Brewers keeper and bounced inches wide of the far post.
So near, but yet so far, for Albion who remaining agonisingly close to securing League One football for another season, but now know that a point from any of their last four games will be enough.
ALBION: MacGillivray; Brayford, Hughes, Moon; Oshilaja (Walker, 80), Shaughnessy, Powell, Ashworth (Winnall, 79); Carayol (Smith, 73), D.Taylor, Helm.
Substitutes: Garratt, Kirk, Ahadme, Latty-Fairweather.
GOALS: DERBY - McGoldrick (63 pen)
Referee: Ben Toner
Attendance: 29,304 (2,101 away)