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DERBY County recovered from conceding an early goal to beat Plymouth Argyle 2-1 at Pride Park Stadium this afternoon and stretch their unbeaten run to seven matches.

They fell behind to Paul Gallagher’s fine strike but grabbed an equaliser through Rob Hulse in stoppage time at the end of the first half after a flat opening 45 minutes.

And then an own goal from Plymouth skipper Karl Duguid put Paul Jewell’s side ahead after Paul Green’s shot had been brilliantly tipped onto a post by Romain Larrieu.

Derby had to survive a late rally from the visitors before claiming the three points to climb to ninth in the table, one point outside the top six.

Jewell was relieved at the end.

“We did not play very well – the international break really hindered us,” he said.

“The last 20 minutes we were flat but we showed resilience and real desire to win the game.”

Derby made three changes – in came Stephen Bywater and Claude Davis for the suspended Roy Carroll and Dean Leacock. Up front, Nathan Ellington replaced Emanuel Villa.

Goalkeeper Bywater made his first start since December and Davis, back from World Cup duty with Jamaica, made his first appearance since the home defeat by Southampton on August 23.

Both teams went into the two-week international break on a high but who would pick up the pace of the game quickest?

The answer was Plymouth.

They went ahead on eight minutes thanks to a cracking goal from Gallagher. Controlling the ball on his chest, he struck an unstoppable volley from the right side of the area up and over Bywater.

Derby suffered another blow when Davies had to go off with a suspected fractured cheekbone after a bang in the side of the face. Kris Commons, fit again after missing five matches, came on.

There was little rhythm to Derby’s play as they huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser without forcing a save of real note from Larrieu.

But just as they were set to go in one down at the break, they levelled through Hulse.

Commons, having switched to the right, weaved past a couple of defenders and pulled the ball back for Hulse who, with his back to goal, turned and swept his finish low and wide of Larrieu.

It was Hulse’s third goal of the season and the striker had a header held by Larrieu early in the second half before the Rams went ahead on 52 minutes.

A corner from Commons was only half cleared to Green on the edge of the box and his drive was turned onto the inside of a post by Larrieu. Duiguid tried to complete the clearance but could only knock the ball into his own net.

The goal lifted confidence and with neat approach play from Nacer Barazite and Commons, the Rams threatened to add a third but Plymouth had chances in the final 10 minutes.

Duguid’s effort was pushed away by the diving Bywater after the midfielder had burst into the area and when Bywater failed to collect a high ball, Marcel Seip’s glancing header bounced narrowly wide.

Plymouth kept plugging away as nervy Derby dropped deeper.

Substitute Nicolas Marin lifted his shot over when he should have hit the target and Rory Fallon headed just wide as the Rams fans waited for the final whistle.

Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock felt a draw would have been a fair result.

“I don’t think we deserved to lose but I don’t think we deserved to win. I thought a draw would have been a fair result,” he said.

“I was a wee bit disappointed because I felt we went to sleep five minutes before half time and 10 minutes after, and that cost us dear.”

DERBY COUNTY: Bywater; Connolly, Davis, Nyatanga, Stewart; Barazite, Green, Addison, Davies (Commons, 17;

Kazmierczak, 77)); Ellington (Villa, 75), Hulse.
Other subs: Price (gk), Zadkovich.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE: Larrieu; Doumbe, Cathcart, Seip, Barker (Paterson, 75); Mackie (Marin, 71), Summerfield,

Duguid, Clark (Mpenza, 82); Gallagher, Fallon.
Other subs: Timar, Folly.

REFEREE: C Webster (Tyne & Wear).

ATTENDANCE: 28,495 (away fans, 1,243).

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