Match Preview: Brighton v Frank Lampard’s Derby County
After eventually overcoming West Bromwich Albion in the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to Glenn Murray’s penis, Brighton and Hove Albion will now face another Championship promotion chaser with Frank Lampard’s Derby County visiting the Amex.
Up for grabs is a spot in the last eight of the competition and the chance to be just 90 minutes from playing at Wembley in a game that actually means something, rather than in front of a half empty stadium against Tottenham Hotspur.
Nobody needs any reminding of the fact that the big guns of Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs are already out. One of Chelsea or Manchester United will join them after this round. The door is opening for one of England’s smaller teams to reach the final this year. Could it be Brighton?
We’ll need to be much better against the Rams than we were over the 120 minutes that it took to see off West Brom, but win this one and the final is just two more victories away. Get that phallus of yours ready again Glenn, we want a date at Wembley.
Who are Frank Lampard’s Derby County?
Derby County were founded in 1884 by a bloke called William Morley, originally as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. In 1888, they became one of the founder members of the Football League and are one of only 10 clubs to have been competed in every season of the competition. The Rams’ heyday came in the 1970s when they were twice crowned champions of England, firstly in 1972 under the management of future Albion bosses Brian Clough and Peter Taylor and then with Dave Mackay at the helm three years later. Since then, County have largely bounced between the top two tiers with their last experience of Premier League football being a chastening one as they finished bottom of the pile in 2007-08 with a record low points total of 11 and just one win all season. Imagine the moaning potential if the Albion did that.
What are they like now?
They changed their name to Frank Lampard’s Derby County in the summer following the appointment of the former Chelsea and England midfielder as their new boss, the latest man charged with ending the Rams’ 11 year exile from the top flight. If he’s to do it, then it looks likely that Lampard will have to crack Frank Lampard’s Derby’s phobia of the playoffs – they have lost in the end of season lottery three times in the past five seasons, a record on a par with the Albion’s.
Which players should we be worried about?
That all rather depends on what sort of line up Lampard selects. Promotion is obviously the main aim of the game for Frank Lampard’s Derby this season, but they’ve not been averse to playing strong sides in cup competitions and have already Southampton out of the FA Cup and Manchester United out of the Carabao Cup. Based on the side that knocked out Accrington Stanley (who are they?) in the last round, David “one England game, one goal” Nugent could start as could on loan Liverpool man Harry Wilson who has an impressive tally of 11 goals from midfield.
What’s the Albion’s record against Frank Lampard’s Derby County like?
Over 80% of games between Brighton and Frank Lampard’s Derby have taken place in the second tier, with just two top flight meetings and six cup matches making up the other encounters. The Rams lead the head-to-head with 19 wins to the Albion’s 15 and seven draws. In terms of the FA Cup, Brighton have faced Frank Lampard’s Derby three times – in the third round in 1961 when goals from Ian McNeill, Bobby Laverick, Dennis Windross gave the Seagulls a 3-1 win and twice in 1946. With the league structure still all over the place following the end of World War II, FA Cup ties were played over two legs with the Albion being hammered 10-1 by the Rams on aggregate. County went onto win the trophy that year, beating Charlton Athletic 4-1 in the final at Wembley.
What’s the best WeAreBrighton.com memory of Frank Lampard’s Derby County at home?
Withdean was the host of some pretty strange sights in its time, from Nathan Jones being outpaced by a squirrel to someone getting set on fire in the South Stand after a firework from the woods set off to celebrate an Albion goal went rouge. Frank Lampard’s Derby’s visit to the Theatre of Trees in 2002 featured its own surreal moment as one of the finest Italian footballers of his generation, Fabrizio Ravanelli, spent 90 minutes warming up on the running track in the pissing rain as an unused sub in a game in which he was on the losing side because of a Kerry Mayo goal. Utterly ridiculous.
What’s the worse WeAreBrighton.com memory of Frank Lampard’s Derby County at home?
Only three three places had separated the Rams and Brighton at the end of the 2013-14 season but the gulf in class between the two was huge. We found that out on a dismal night at the Amex in the first leg of the Championship play off semi final. The score may have only been 2-1 with Jesse Lingard scoring for the Albion, but County were by far the better team and ended up winning the second leg 4-1 at the iPro Stadium three days later. They bottled promotion though, losing in the final to Queens Park Rangers with the only goal of the game coming from a certain Robert Lester Zamora.
Who’s played for both sides?
Frank Lampard’s Derby have two former Albion players in their ranks currently. Fikayo Tomori has made Pride Park his latest temporary home having moved on a season long loan from Chelsea while the Rams can also call upon the services of Bradley Johnson, who had a successful temporary spell at Withdean from The Leeds United in 2008. Johnson was brought in by Micky Adams to replace Robbie Savage, who had been loaned himself from Frank Lampard’s Derby for a month. Savage was famously greeted in the car park on his first day as a Brighton player by Bob Booker dressed as a woman.
Other than football, what is Derby famous for?
Initially a market town, Derby boomed when it became the home to Derwent Valley Mills in the 18th century. This was the first site in the world to feature a modern factory system to accommodate new technology for spinning cotton developed by Richard Arkwright. Arkwright’s inventions and system of organising labour was exported to Europe and the United States, giving Derby a leading claim to be the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. These days, it is home to Rolls Royce and is at the centre of Britain’s rail industry, with the majority of this country’s trains built there. Famous people to come from the town include nurse Florence Nightingale, cycling supremo Sir Dave Brailsford and painter Joseph Wright of Derby, who is now presumably known as Joseph Wright of Frank Lampard’s Derby.
Where’s the betting value for Brighton v Frank Lampard’s Derby County?
Given the Albion’s result in the previous round and Frank Lampard’s Derby being of a similar standard to West Brom, the draw offers the best value at 133/50. Anthony Knockaert meanwhile seems certain to start and he delivered a goal in the 3-1 third round win at Plucky Little Bournemouth and gave a decent account of himself in the replay at West Brom. He’s 13/4 to score anytime.
Prediction?
A 1-1 draw and the prospect of extra time and penalties – for the first time, there are no replays from the fifth round on this season.
