Football Mar 08, 2026

Derby County 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday: Matt Clarke heads Rams to victory

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By Admin
Sports Journalist
Derby County 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday: Matt Clarke heads Rams to victory

Derby kept up their bid for the play-offs with a 2-1 victory over relegated Sheffield Wednesday, who registered another unwanted record.

Although former Derby loanee Jerry Yates cancelled out Ben Brereton Diaz's opener, Matt Clarke headed the home side in front and that was enough to send Wednesday to a 13th straight league defeat.

The win pulls Derby to within three points of the play-offs, with sixth-placed Wrexham in FA Cup action this weekend.

The result also means Wednesday become only the fifth team in Football League history to go 30 or more consecutive games without a win, joining Crewe, Cambridge, Derby and Macclesfield.

There was some early encouragement for the 3,000 Wednesday fans packed into a corner of Pride Park as their team started brightly but it was soon a familiar story as Derby went ahead in the 11th minute.

Rhian Brewster's lovely pass sent Brereton Diaz through and he made no mistake with a low finish past Pierce Charles.

The Chile forward should have added a second two minutes later but he fired over at the back post after more good work from Brewster.

It was a let off for the visitors and they took advantage in the 18th minute when Derby failed to clear and Jamal Lowe whipped in a cross which Yates met with a diving header into the top right corner.

Wednesday were certainly showing plenty of belief and Brereton Diaz had to take a yellow card by pulling over Svante Ingelsson to halt a dangerous counter attack.

But Derby restored their lead on the stroke of half-time, with Joe Ward providing a teasing cross which Clarke glanced past Charles.

It was tough on Wednesday, who had given Derby problems but they came out for the second half with a lot to do to avoid another defeat.

Derby had a chance to increase their lead in the 63rd minute but Patrick Agyemang fired a low shot just wide of the left post after Brereton Diaz played him in.

The Wednesday fans continued to make themselves heard but it was Derby who looked more likely to score and Brereton Diaz had a good opportunity to get his second but delayed and his effort was blocked.

The game had become increasingly scrappy but chances kept coming for Derby with Bobby Clark having a shot deflected narrowly wide in the 84th minute

There was another great chance for Derby in stoppage time but Carlton Morris got the ball stuck under his feet after the lively Brereton Diaz set him up from 12 yards.

Derby's John Eustace:

"I thought it was an excellent win. It was always going to be a difficult game, Sheffield Wednesday are playing with a lot of freedom and have got nothing to lose.

"Every game that you play in the Championship, if you are not 100 per cent focused and have the right mentality. It can hurt you and I was just delighted with the way we bounced back from them equalising.

"It could have rocked us a little bit so to score just before half-time was really pleasing.

"In the second half the game opened up a little bit more and we could easily have scored three or four goals if we had made the right decisions and if we were more clinical.

"We have got some fantastic forward players and it could have been three or four if we had been a little bit more clinical.

"Now it's just important that we enjoy the last 10 games and see where it takes us."

Sheffield Wednesday's Henrik Pedersen:

"It was amazing. Today from the first moment they were singing and to the end of the game. That's why we have a big, big future for this football club.

"How they support the boys and how they create an environment for the boys in this insecure situation to still feel safe and feel motivated to do all that they can. I have never seen this before in my life, what they did for us today was amazing.

"Before we have a new owner, what we have right now is our fans and this is why our club is still a big club, otherwise we would be a small club. We don't have much but with our fans we have everything and we have big potential."

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