“That typified our season” – Banel’s at it again as Rams battle back to beat QPR

In his post-match interview with Rams TV, John Eustace echoed the away end in bringing back a phrase the flock have used a lot over the past few years: “We fight to the end.”

That was the sentiment four years ago, almost to the week, when the administration-stricken Rams were relegated at Loftus Road. Again, last season during The Great Escape. Even after the nightmare start to Eustace’s tenure that was the 4-0 defeat at the same ground 14 months ago.

Reflecting on that game pre-match he said: “Before that game all I was thinking about [was] trying to keep the team in the league." The contrast between then and now could not be clearer. Barring a Wrexham victory at Champions Coventry on Sunday lunchtime, The Rams will still be in top six contention come the final day.

They did not make it easy for themselves, though.

Julien Stéphan’s side started well, Richard Kone forcing Jacob Widell Zetterström into a top save inside the first five minutes as he got a strong right hand to the Ivorian striker’s point-blank effort before Daniel Bennie crashed the rebound off the post.

When Amadou Mbengue went flying over the advertising hoardings, the pause in proceedings offered Derby a chance to reset. But just a minute later they were behind, Harvey Vale allowed too much space to meet Bennie’s cut back on the right-hand side of the box. The Irishman took a touch to take the ball between Dion Sanderson and Lewis Travis before slamming it into the bottom-right corner.

The Rams were second to every ball, QPR with acres of space in the final third. Kieran Morgan was next to have a go, belting an effort just over from 20 -yards-out in the inside-right.

But from a much-needed spell of possession, Eustace’s side won their first corner. Joe Ward’s delivery was headed away as far as Max Johnston, back in the team at left back with Derry Murkin injured. His right-footed volley bounced for Oscar Fraulo to run onto 15-yards-out, and slot into the bottom-left corner for his first Derby goal.

Storm weathered, parity restored. This was surely the moment for Derby to kick on? No. The shots from Johnston and Fraulo were The Rams’ only efforts of the first half, as the pendulum swung straight back in the direction of QPR.

Zetterström twice had to deny Paul Smyth after he cut inside from the left, plus Vale and Martinique midfielder Jonathan Varane before a hosts’ corner flew straight into the Swede’s net. But John Busby promptly blew the whistle as Morgan had impeded the view of Derby’s number one.

Sondre Langås made a goal-saving block four minutes into the second half after Bennie beat Johnston down the left and squared the ball for Vale. But six minutes later, Kone put the Londoners back in front, working some space and finding the bottom corner while practically on the floor under pressure from Matt Clarke.

Zetterström soon made a big save to deny the former Wycombe striker a second after he drove into space between Travis and Sanderson and stopped Bennie’s drive seconds later.

Derby were all at sea on the hour mark as Matt Clarke fell over inside his own box. But his blushes were spared as Kone blazed a golden chance to seal victory horrendously wide from six yards.

Instead, Derby’s leveller came with 14 minutes to play, Carlton Morris winning a free kick for a Rams side that had been buoyed by the introduction of Jaydon Banel, David Ozoh, and Craig Forsyth. Ward’s out-swinging delivery from the right was met by Langås, who outmuscled his marker to head down past Paul Nardi.

Though Clarke and substitute Lars-Jørgen Salvesen could not replicate Langås from Ward’s subsequent deliveries, Derby were handed a boost when a hamstring problem forced Rumarn Burrell off after Stephan had used all of his changes.

But one extra man would not have made a difference when Banel drove inside from the left, putting the ball through the legs of one defender, while jinking round another before curling the ball into the far corner.

“I just trusted my quality,” the 21-year-old brazenly told Rams TV.

Cue pandemonium among Derby’s top-tier away support: Banel had just outdone his magical goal of the season from last week!

“I think that typified our season,” Eustace told BBC Radio Derby after his side dug deep to see out ten additional minutes. “That’s Derby County to a tee. We go through some difficult moments and then we keep fighting and obviously come through it.”

‘Come through it’? After a goal of such quality, that was a classic Eustace understatement.

Analysis: Grit, efficiency and game changers

“I think it was important that we rested a couple of players. David [Ozoh] and Jaydon [Banel] both needed a rest, but I also knew that they’d be able to impact the game second half for the last half an hour and luckily today it’s worked,” Eustace explained to BBC Radio Derby.

There were also references to his side’s season-high running numbers over the past two games, and the importance of seasoned professionals Craig Forsyth and Danny Batth coming on to help see out the game. This was a game where Eustace’s plan appeared to fall into place perfectly, balancing maintaining the play-off push with protecting young players and allowing them to shine too.

Eustace said: “I always knew that the first hour was going to be a really difficult time.” Indeed, The Rams have Zetterström and his ten saves to thank for still being in the game after that.

With the three points having come back to the East Midlands, we can hail smart game and squad management in a brilliantly gritty display. But it could have been very different. The Swedish international has shown his game-changing goalkeeping in all three games since returning from injury, even in the defeat at Carrow Road.

The game-changers were the aforementioned substitutes, Ozoh and Banel, who brought the quality to ensure that their goalkeeper’s heroics counted for something.

Ozoh brought additional steel to the middle of the park to help Derby wrestle back control of the game without losing the progressive, forward-thinking spark of Oscar Fraulo, who is still adapting to the physicality of English football after just his second league start. Banel added pace and directness, dragging Derby up the pitch and dragging defenders out of position to create space for teammates.

But underpinning all of this, is that efficiency that has come with most of Derby’s away wins this season. Three shots on target, three goals. Compare that to QPR’s five big chances, all missed from 23 shots.

Coming from behind to win on the road for the first time since 2023, Derby fight on. Eustace was keen to stress that, “The league is judged on 46 games, and that’s something I said after five games, 10 games.” With one to go, The Rams promotion dream is still alive – you can never count this side out.

Well, unless Wrexham beat Coventry – I’m sure Derby’s head coach will be supporting his former side in that one!

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Goals: Vale 13’, Kone 55’ | Fraulo 25’, Langås 76’, Banel 88’

Derby (4-2-3-1): Zetterström (GK); Langås, Sanderson (Banel 62’), Clarke, Johnston (Forsyth 62’); Fraulo (Ozoh 62’), Travis (C) (Salvesen 75’); Ward, Szmodics (Batth 90’+1), Brereton Díaz; Morris.

Unused Substitutes: Vickers (GK); Gordon; Allen, Eames.

QPR (4-4-2): Nardi (GK); Mbengue (Adamson 46’), Clarke-Salter, Edwards, Norrington-Davies; Bennie (Burrell 62’), Varane, Morgan (Madsen 62’), Smyth (Saito 79’); Vale, Kone (Chair 68’).

Unused Substitutes: Hamer (GK); Esquerdinha; Mulugeta; Kolli.