Nigel Pearson praises determined Derby after Brighton draw
Saturday 6 August 2016 19:28, UK
Nigel Pearson praised Derby's character after they marked his return to the game with a hard-earned point from a goalless draw with Brighton.
After a game of few chances, both Pearson and Brighton boss Chris Hughton admitted they were satisfied with the outcome, which was a repeat of the two draws between the clubs last season.
The way Derby started pointed towards a winning return to management for Pearson as first Darren Bent and then Tom Ince had chances in the opening three minutes.
David Stockdale twice denied Ince as Brighton struggled to get into the game, but they gradually took control and after finishing the first half strongly, dominated the second.
Tomer Hemed forced Scott Carson into a flying save 12 seconds after the restart and the midfielder was denied by a goal-line clearance from Cyrus Christie in the 70th minute.
Steve Sidwell was outstanding and his clever chip over the defence set up Glenn Murray but after chesting the ball down, he shot at Carson when he should have scored. Stockdale saved from Will Hughes and Bent went close in stoppage time.
Pearson said: "I was very pleased with our determination and the fact that the players kept on trying to function as a team.
"Although we weren't playing at our best and didn't use the ball as well as I would have liked to have done, we worked really hard to protect our own goal.
"We had some very good chances early on, we started the first half very well and they started the second half very well.
"What's important for me with this performance and this result is that if people have the opinion that in the past we may have lost, I was interested and very pleased to see our players work so hard to not allow a tight game to go to the opponents.
"You've got to try and win games but if you can't win them you don't lose them and I think both managers would be saying very similar things."
Hughton echoed Pearson when he said: "I think in the last few years a draw here is going to be a very good result. I thought although we needed David Stockdale to make a couple of very good saves I thought we edged the chances.
"I thought we had the better of the chances but I thought on the balance of play a draw was probably a fair result. I think what you have with Glenn (Murray) is a player who will be a wonderful signing for us but he's come in on the back of a season last year when he didn't have too many starts.
"But he's a worker for the team so my delight with him is how he's worked for the team and got into those positions and if he gets into those positions enough times over a season he will score goals.
"Generally you don't know what you are going to get first game of the season but I thought the application of the team was excellent and apart from winning and goals I think I've got everything I wanted today."
