Derby virtually guaranteed their Championship survival with a 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
Hulse strike clinches 1-0 success against Owls
Derby virtually guaranteed their Championship survival with a 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
The Rams had slipped back towards the drop zone after a run of five games without a win but they returned to form thanks to Rob Hulse's goal.
The former Sheffield United striker headed home Gary Teale's left-wing free-kick on the stroke of half-time and Nigel Clough's men held on to move eight points clear of trouble.
Lee Grant's save to tip Teale's volley round the post after 22 minutes was the only notable goalmouth action before Darren Potter struck the crossbar with a 25-yard free-kick five minutes before the break.
Wednesday should have taken the lead when Jay McEveley's header back to goalkeeper Stephen Bywater was intercepted by Francis Jeffers.
Jeffers set up Marcus Tudgay but with the majority of the goal to aim for, the former Derby forward let his old club off the hook by firing over the crossbar.
It proved a costly miss as Hulse struck to put Derby ahead with virtually the last touch of the first half.
Hulse then frustrated Wednesday at the other end three minutes after the interval, deflecting Tudgay's shot over the crossbar from on his own goal-line.
Tudgay provided the host's biggest threat and he went close again just before the hour mark with a curling shot from the right-hand side of the penalty area that narrowly cleared the crossbar.
Brian Laws brought on attacking trio Akpo Sodje, Leon Clarke and Etienne Esajas in a bid to salvage something from the game but it proved in vain.
The Owls pressed for an equalising goal but the closest they came was when Richard Hinds headed over from six yards from Esajas' corner.
