CHRIS HUTCHINGS began his presumably short-lived tenure as caretaker manager of Derby County yesterday — this was, essentially, the first of his two auditions to be offered the role on a permanent basis — by overcoming the potentially tricky obstacle of Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup third round. After this nail-biting victory his side face a tougher assignment, Manchester United in the Carling Cup on Wednesday.

He was indebted to substitute Steve Davies’s late penalty, which prevented the struggling Blue Square Premier Division club, 76 places below them in the football pyramid, from securing a financially lucrative replay in nine days’ time.

In an enthralling FA Cup tie, in which the hard-working Rovers went two goals ahead in the first half, the Rams extended to 53 years their proud record of not losing in the FA Cup to non-league opposition and ensured that they have reached the fourth round of the competition every season since 2003-04.

Asked about his position, five days after Paul Jewell’s sudden resignation, Hutchings wanted to focus on his team’s merits in progressing under testing circumstances. “It wasn’t about me,” he said, “it was about getting through. It was debatable whether the match should have taken place but that’s what the Cup is all about, why we love cup football.” On a bobbly and relatively hard pitch, Rovers went ahead on 14 minutes when Jonathan Smith showed excellent technique to strike the ball into the roof of the net and then, six minutes later, Alex Lawless doubled the lead by squeezing his shot inside the near post.

Although Derby hit back twice in the last five minutes of the first half — first Rob Hulse scored, after his initial header bounced off the crossbar, then Martin Albrechtsen nodded a Kris Commons free kick into the net at the back post — Rovers scored again on 72 minutes through the excellent Paul Stonehouse.

Heartbreak, though, was soon to follow: Paul Green pounced on a headed flick from Hulse to shoot low past goalkeeper Terry Burton and then, when Darren Jones tripped Commons in the penalty area, a challenge for which he was sent off, substitute Davies scored with his first touch, comfortably dispatching the penalty. It was a sickener for the non-league club who, at the very least, deserved another chance at Pride Park.

“We had Derby on the ropes but, in the end, couldn’t quite make it,” said Rovers manager, Jim Harvey. “It was a magnificent effort from us and great entertainment for the fans. It was heartbreaking to lose by a penalty.”

Star man: Kris Commons (Derby)

Referee: P Taylor

Attendance: 4,836

FOREST GREEN: Burton 7, Gill 6, Jones 6, Kempson 7, Stonehouse 8, Lawless 7, Fowler 6, Smith 7 (Afful 64min), Clist 7, Rigoglioso 7, Mangan 6 (Mohamed 68min)

DERBY COUNTY: Carroll 7, Beardsley 6, Albrechtsen 6 (Powell h-t, 6), Nyatanga 6, Camara 6, Teale 7 (Barazite 71min), Green 6, Addison 6, Commons 8, Varney 7 (Davies 81min), Hulse 7

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