Positive signs for Athletic

Jonson Clarke-Harris holds off Richard Keogh. Pictures by ALAN HOWARTH

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Athletic 0, Derby 1

NEITHER of these sides does this competition very well these days, but both will have retired from last night’s contest relatively content.

There were certainly enough ifs, buts and maybes to keep the majority of the 5,000 crowd at Boundary Park enthused by the time Walsall visit on Saturday — even despite Athletic maintaining a miserable run in a competition they last progressed in via a penalty shoot-out at Rochdale five years ago.

As 1-0 defeats go, this was one of the better ones.

Michael Jacobs’ close-range finish at the back of some static defending in the first half settled it, but for Lee Johnson’s men the opening 45 minutes featured more of the crisp tempo and front to back passing and movement which brought about the exciting victory at Stevenage three days earlier.

Athletic were genuinely enterprising and entertaining to watch going forward. This brand of football — sustained over 90 minutes — will provide plenty of goals against the less robust defences of League One.

Man-of-the-moment Cristian Montano twice tested Derby ‘keeper Lee Grant in the opening period, the best effort arriving shortly before the break following a period of sustained Athletic passing.

The home side were a constant threat as Jose Baxter probed with precise passing and Jonson Clarke-Harris bumped off defenders with relish on his full debut.

Montano’s second effort, a rasping drive from 20 yards which forced a good save from Grant, was followed up after the interval by his and Athletic’s golden chance.

Had the former West Ham winger not scored so brilliantly with a delicate chip at the Lamex Stadium at the weekend, he would probably have put his foot through a one-on-one chance against the run of play in the 74th minute.

In opting for finesse over power, Montano gave enough of a sniff to Craig Forsyth to allow the full-back to race back and clear the ball off the goal line.

Ultimately, Derby were too streetwise to succumb to the passing and movement which troubled them defensively before the break.

Montano’s big opportunity aside, the visitors with play-off aspirations in the Championship controlled most of the remainder of the game to emerge as worthy winners. Clough’s men could have scored a few more than the one they did manage.