Derby stake real claim for Championship survival with another late point

Despite receiving a 21-point deduction at the start of the season, the Rams have fought their way up the league and towards safety - helped by another point thanks to a late equaliser against Birmingham on Sunday.

Derby went 2-0 down thanks to goals from Lyle Taylor - on loan from Nottingham Forest - and a smart finish from Scott Hogan.

Tom Lawrence, who has been influential for the Rams in recent weeks, believed his side should have had a penalty after his goal-bound shot was blocked by the hand of Teden Mengi, but it wasn't spotted by the referee.

They did pull one back eventually though, when Luke Plange - just one of a number of youngsters Rooney has brought through and entrusted in - curled the ball past Neil Etheridge in the 87th minute.

And if you've watched Derby this season, you would have known this game wasn't over.

They came back from 2-0 down to draw against relegation rivals Reading just a few weeks ago, with 86th and 91st-minute goals.

And it was an even later comeback at Pride Park on Sunday, as Krystian Bielik, who was making his first appearance for exactly a year, scored an overhead kick in the 95th minute to make it 2-2.

The injury-blighted midfielder was then helped off with a shoulder injury after his acrobatic finish.

Before all this, Rams supporters gathered and marched to the stadium in protest of the club's plight, after administration was confirmed in September.

An estimated 750 to 1,000 of them were thought to be in attendance, with another 30,000 inside Pride Park, which undoubtedly helped their side to another comeback.

And Rooney, who revealed he turned down an interview at Premier League side Everton this week, feels as though that point could be influential in keeping them in the division.

He told talkSPORT after the game: "This point, I really believe it can keep us in this league.

"I've been in football, I've had a long career as a player and I know how important some points are.

"This one is a massive point for us."