Derby County’s 1-0 loss to Northampton Town meant they would have missed the opportunity to move seven points clear of Bolton Wanderers before their next game.
After a terribly dismal effort, the Rams’ goal in the 23rd minute proved to be the difference between the two teams.
The inconsistencies of Paul Warne’s team surfaced again after winning four straight games on the trot, as the manager made some dubious choices.
One of options was to deploy Derby academy graduate Liam Thompson as an offensive midfielder, although his best position would be as a deep-lying midfielder.
Consequently, despite having 62% of the ball and 14 shots on goal, Ebou Adams and Conor Hourihane were unable to win the battle in the engine room and found it difficult to gain momentum in the game.
In the end, Derby failed to move the ball rapidly enough or generate enough opportunities to win the game.
Then, late in the game, Sonny Bradley’s red card added insult to their miserable day.
Along with Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson once again, Sonny Bradley had an afternoon to forget against Northampton Bradley.
Although the seasoned defender has performed well since rejoining the team, today wasn’t a good workday.
He was not only sent off for a petty headbutt that journalist Leigh Curtis called a “moment of headloss,” but he was also responsible for the opening goal since he misplaced his marker too quickly.
Curtis stated, “Should have done better for the first goal as it seemed too easy for Appere to find space and put over a cross for Hoskins,” in his post-match player ratings for the Derby Telegraph. Sent off for what appeared to be a headbutt during stoppage time. A ridiculous and foolish moment of confusion. 3.
Derby lost the game late on because of that insane moment, and he will now serve a three-match suspension since his headbutt was considered violent behavior.
The games in the promotion run-in that Sonny Bradley will miss
Bradley will now miss a significant chunk of Derby’s final six games after losing his head in the contest.
The Good Friday home match against Blackpool (March 29), the promotion match at Fratton Park against Portsmouth (April 2), and the away trip to Wycombe Wanderers (April 10) will all be missed due to his suspension.
There isn’t much of a reason to panic just yet, since Derby is still four points ahead of Bolton in second place, but what Bradley does in that game might still have an impact on how the remainder of their season goes.
