A SLOPPY goal adrift in the first seconds, Bristol City spent the next 83 minutes laying siege to Derby County’s goal. It was then that Gavin Williams equalised with a 20-yard strike.

There was but one question to be asked: could City steam-roller on to the three points their performance warranted? Instead, for the second time in an absorbing afternoon, Bristol fell asleep as Derby immediately embarked on a rare sortie forwards. Gary Teale crossed from the left and Rob Hulse knocked home the winner.

Proceedings began to go awry for City after 52 seconds. They slumbered soundly as Mile Sterjovski ambled unchallenged through the inside left channel and crossed low. Chris Porter, unmarked inside the six-yard box, swivelled and shot past Adriano Basso. “We said that we’d surprise them,” lamented City manager Gary Johnson. “Unfortunately, we only surprised ourselves.” Being caught so cold injected heat into City. With Williams and Michael McIndoe pulling the midfield strings, the wounded beasts of Bristol tore into Derby. They might have had a fistful by half-time. Nicky Maynard fluffed a one-on-one with Stephen Bywater, Jamie McCombe headed against the post and a more hawkeyed referee than Keith Stroud would have awarded a penalty when Lewin Nyatanga stuck out a hand to deflect Lee Johnson’s goal-bound drive.

Derby creaked but did not buckle. And with Robbie Savage inspirational and combative, they hung on until the break. For the second half, intending merely to cling on, Nigel Clough replaced his injured forward Porter with a defender, Andy Todd. “We don’t particularly want to play like that, especially in front of our own fans, but sometimes needs must and you have to concede ground and possession to better teams,” said Clough.

By the final quarter, City had four strikers bearing down on Bywater, but he saved smartly from Williams before Nyatanga made a fabulous tackle to foil McIndoe. No matter, when Williams scored, the die seemed cast. It was, but not quite how anybody imagined.

Star man: Gavin Williams (Bristol City)

Yellow card: Derby: Todd

Referee: K Stroud Attendance: 30,824

DERBY: Bywater 8, Connolly 6, Albrechtsen 6, Nyatanga 7, McEveley 6 (Kazmierczak 80min), Barazite 5, Sterjovski 7 (Villa 87min), Savage 8, Teale 7, Hulse 6, Porter 6 (Todd ht 5)

BRISTOL CITY: Basso 7, Orr 5, Carey 5, McCombe 6 (Sproule 62min), Fontaine 5, McAllister 6, Williams 8, Johnson 7, McIndoe 7, Maynard 5 (Styvar 74min), John 5