Final run out highlights gaps again: Rotherham 1-1 Derby

That’s a wrap on the 2026 Derby County reunion tour. But whether in the presence of Jake Buxton, Nigel Clough, or as at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, Rotherham United technical director Steve McClaren, The Rams’ performances haven’t exactly been vintage.

Though, in fairness, that is not the point of pre-season friendlies. They are simply the warmup gigs. The opportunity to tweak the set list, fine tune the staging or test out new equipment. Finding the optimum set-up takes time and hard yards as the team get ready to take to the Championship stage in pursuit of a promotion party, or at least a play-off encore.

If the goal was simply to get the best possible result, Carlton Morris would not have been rested. There would not have been a separate behind closed doors friendly with Port Vale at Moor Farm earlier on Tuesday, which Josh Vickers, Kenzo Goudmijn, Lars-Jørgen Salvesen and Ryan Nyambe all started. Rhian Brewster played the final 20 minutes as part of his recovery from injury, scoring within four.

No, this was to recycle John Eustace’s words after Saturday’s trip to Burton, “a fitness exercise”. And also, a prime opportunity to fine tune in possession work and positional play.

There were no real revelations, Derby are still light of numbers in midfield and lack wingers. But the choice to start Owen Eames on the right instead of Joe Ward, with Dajuane Brown on the left suggested that The Rams wanted to practice patterns of play more akin to their ideal XI – Eames more comfortable on the ball in the final third, with Brown going to play as the most advanced attacker in phases akin to Patrick Agyemang, or Eustace may hope, another target.

That space was vacated by Sam Szmodics, playing as a false nine. On his first start since returning to the club last Saturday, the Ireland international dropped into space on the edge of the box when Bobby Clark, playing as a number 10, ventured deeper to get the ball. This then allowed Szmodics to make those channel runs in the half spaces that he does so well at his best when playing behind the striker.

And this combination paid off just eight minutes in, Clark winning the ball back inside his own half before chopping to release Szmodics down the inside left. The Ipswich loanee carried the ball 40 yards before he was fouled in the box and subsequently slotted the spot-kick straight down the middle.

The Rams continued to have Rotherham penned in their defensive third, Brown and Eames rotating with Szmodics in central areas while Charlie Taylor and Max Johnston bombed down the flanks, becoming the most advanced players in attacking phases. Clark and Oscar Fraulo controlled the tempo on the edge of the box, with the Dane seeing multiple efforts blocked.

Johnston too often put his crosses just beyond the man at the back post, but one peach was cushioned well by Brown for Szmodics, whose effort on the edge of the box fizzed wide.

Rotherham meanwhile were growing into the game, with Derby failing to convert their dominance of the ball into clear cut chances. Matt Clarke did brilliantly to get across and dispossess Kian Spence after he cantered after a long ball into space vacated by Charlie Taylor.

And The Millers should have been level in the 43^rd minute, when Jacob Widell Zetterström played a one-two with Clarke on the edge of the box before sweeping the ball straight to Brandon Cover, whose effort trickled wide.

As if any further evidence of the need for more signings was required, Eames led the line in the lacklustre second half.

The hosts had another glorious chance for a level seconds after the break, as Jili Buyabu, Fabio Tavares and Kian Spence combined before Aaron Nemane fired over at the back stick.

Lewis Travis then had to make a crunching tackle to deny Tavares on the turn, before Derby raced up the other end through substitute Corey Blackett-Taylor, who saw a shot blocked.

Rotherham levelled in the 63^rd minute. Zetterström hit another slack pass the wrong side of Travis allowing substitute Ossama Ashley to snap at his heels and score.

But The Rams really should have won it with the last kick of the game, when Blackett-Taylor took Joe Ward’s cross off former Aberdeen youngster Cameron Wilson, only to blaze it widely over the bar.

A weapon against low blocks?

The tweak to the role of the striker, from the target man of Morris to the false nine of Szmodics is a subtle one, indeed it doesn’t materially change the attacking shape of 3-2-5/3-1-6 (depending on the positioning of the 8). I just wonder if it might become important as we potentially see more of it.

Not consistently, Morris is clearly the main man and should get a hatful of goals if he stays fit. But one of The Rams main problems last season, home form, came from an inability to win whilst controlling possession. Their best performances came on the road, with four forwards and two attacking wing backs countering rapidly. Likewise, some of their better moments in pre-season have come in transition.

But when there is little to no space in behind, a man or two on Morris as the opposition sit deep repelling crosses, Derby need another option. The tweak allows them to build up patiently, working the ball from side to side on the edge of the opposition box, waiting to drag someone out of position. If, as expected, Eustace signs dynamic, direct wingers who are able to make intelligent runs to exploit this trap as it is laid, they could have a crucial weapon against low blocks.

Silly errors and sharpness

What’s the pre-season cliché? Ah yes, it’s better to get it out of your systems now, lads.

For Jacob Widell Zetterström to play an opposition attacker in one-on-one in a friendly was sloppy. To do so for a second time by again playing a pass to the wrong side of Lewis Travis, was poor. In a competitive game, it may well be seen as inexcusable.

But the Swede is not the only one, look at Max Johnston, who simply needed to put a little less on most crosses. Even Bobby Clark misplaced a couple of passes, while the less said about Corey Blackett-Taylor’s last-gasp effort, the better.

These are the fine margins that are helped by match sharpness, hence why Derby had two friendlies on Tuesday.

Let’s hope that any remaining cobwebs are blown away by Saturday.

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Goals: Ashley 63’ | Szmodics 9’.

Derby (4-2-3-1): Zetterström (GK); Johnston (Sanderson 63’), Langås, Clarke, Taylor (Forsyth 46’); Fraulo, Travis (C) (Wilson 79’); Eames, Clark, Brown (Ward 46’); Szmodics (Blackett-Taylor 46’).

Unused Substitutes: O’Donnell (GK), Price (GK).