Multiple-team accumulators, as any experienced gambler will sagely intone unto the novice, are a bookmaker’s favourite cash cow. With large, yet criminally poor-value odds highlighted to tempt the unwary, they harvest countless fivers and tenners from the occasional punter. The most common is a one consistent of a dizzying quantity of home teams – a series of “certs”, all of which combine delightfully to produce a colossal payout at 5pm on Saturday.

At 4.40pm on Saturday, dotted across in the country, there must have been a number of gamblers eagerly clutching their betting slips and dreaming of spending a very welcome post-Christmas windfall. Whereupon, on a chilly afternoon in Derbyshire, a man named Sam Ricketts passed a football to a man called David Livermore, who kicked into a small rectangle that had them crumpling the paper into small balls and hurling it at the offending scores service, expectorating “fucking Hull”.

Heh.

Buoyed by the pre-match news that a City supporter named Geoff Pearson had won a Coca Cola promotional contest that won himself a handy ten thousand pounds, and secured for his chairman namesake an extra £250,000 for the summer war chest, Phil Brown made three alterations to the side that slid to a troubling defeat against West Brom last week, recalling David Livermore, John Welsh and Danny Coles as the Tigers lined up: Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Delaney, Dawson; Coles, Livermore, Welsh; McPhee, Parkin, Forster. Ray Parlour accompanied Duke, Elliott, Duffy and Windass on the bench.

Craig Fagan was missing for the home side through both suspension and contractual ineligibility, Gary Teale returned to the side and Jay McEveley made a debut for the Rams.

A crowd exceeding 28,000 had levered itself into Pride Park for the home side’s bid to win a record-equalling ninth successive game, and the home side started brightly, forcing a brace of early corners that City capably repelled. Steve Howard nearly gave Derby the lead after ten minutes when his header flashed narrowly wide, although referee Russell had already given the Tigers a free-kick for a foul on Myhill.

Back came the Rams, with Howard again threatening, although from this attack City launched a swift break that saw McPhee draw a comfortable save from Bywater.

The match was more level now, and being played at a lively pace. City had established a foothold in midfield, where Livermore was more than compensating for the absences of Ashbee and Marney. However, Derby were having some joy down the flanks, where Ricketts and Dawson were being repeatedly stretched. And it was down City’s right that the first goal came.

An epic goalmouth scramble at the far end to the gathered Tiger Nation was eventually dealt with by Derby, and they sprang out at pace. Coles tracked Pearson for nearly fifty yards, but he was unable to halt his run. The ball was swiftly transferred across City’s under-staffed back line where Teale collected possession, steadied himself and slammed an unstoppable low shot past Myhill.

A goal of genuine quality, and while City should have done more – either eliminating the threat of Pearson at halfway or picking up the run of Teale – it was still a superbly crafted move.

In fact, so good was it that it was the second best moment of skill in the first half, as four minutes later Andy Dawson managed to better it with a sparkling free kick from 25 yards. Parkin was fouled by one of theirs, whose identity was difficult to discern from distance, and with no men on the line and a perfectly central position, Dawson curled a peach of an effort over the Derby wall and past the flailing limbs of Bywater to silence the large home crowd and send the City fans into delirium.

The goal rocked Derby, conceding for the first time since January 1^st, and City enjoyed some decent moments in possession thereafter. John Welsh celebrated his first start since the defeat at Plymouth in December by entering the referee’s notebook for an untidy lunge as City looked to push men forward, however the home side regained the composure to end the half as the better side.

However, the parity the Tigers deserved at the break was denied them, and in circumstances for which they can only blame themselves. With the first half almost completed, a corner from the left was swung in where barrel-chester defender Moore was left unmarked to send a soft header bouncing past the wrong-footed Myhill to plop sickeningly into the corner of the goal.

This observer will now digress in a fashion that is becoming depressingly familiar to highlight Derby County’s rubbising of their own history as a proud traditional football club, as the drums that had hinted at the Rams wilful Americanisation of the “matchday experience” were accompanied by Tom Fucking Hark blaringly idiotically over the tannoy. Embarrassing, toe-curling stuff. Another club falls to the dark side.

City trudged off with a deficit their spirit had not merited, but which some sloppy defending and Derby’s skilful attacking had brought about.

No matter; out came our heroes kicking towards the 1,400 souls who’d travelled south, and there was little sign of despondency or self-pity at the situation. The Tigers forced a couple of early corners, but these came to nothing. With City struggling to create any clear-cut chances despite having a decent share of possession and territory, Phil Brown opted to make what turned out to be a highly prescient double substitution on the hour.

Windass replaced the becalmed Beast while Ray Parlour came on for the tiring Welsh, and the introduction of this pair gave City a much sharper attacking edge. Derby, accustomed to winning by a single goal, maybe underestimated them, but the balance of play continued swinging towards City and McPhee had a great chance after good work by Forster, but his shot flew a considerable distance over the bar.

Billy Davies withdrew the excellent Teale for Macken with quarter of an hour remaining as the match grew increasingly stretched. Phil Brown reacted by replacing McPhee with Stuart Elliott, who appeared to be positively brimming with energy and his pace infused City with fresh belief that an improbable point was possible.

However, the home side nearly settled the match when Myhill looked puzzlingly hesitant when dealing with a weak shot from distance, only managing to shovel it around the post. Back came City, and Parlour had an outstanding opportunity to mark his first ever Football League game with a goal after Stephen Bywater’s injudicious expedition outside of his area left the goal at the mercy of the former England international, but great covering work by quelled the danger.

One final time, the Tigers poured forward, and produced a superb move down the left when Windass freed the advancing Ricketts. He swapped passes with Elliott, whose delightful pass sent the Welsh international free in the area. He thoughtfully squared it to the unmarked Livermore, who coolly steered a volley past Bywater to provoke crashing scenes of mayhem in the away end as the City players celebration with real feeling in front of us.

There was a minute of normal time left for the Tigers to negotiate, but both sides appeared to feel a winner was within their respective grasps, each committing more men forward than their managers may feel was strictly necessary. However, few openings were created despite the frantic nature of the final moments, and the points from an entertaining fixture were shared.

Good stuff from City. Even had we gone down 2-1, a decent hand was likely from the away support, appreciative of a credible effort against a team who’ll probably line up in the Premiership next season. City had fought back gamely from a crushing blow on half-time, and played with sufficient application and craft to convince us that the disappointments of Leeds and West Brom were lows to be recovered from, not a sign of things to come.

To gain a point, then, is a terrific result. Forget that Leeds beat Palace, or that Southend had already crucified a stricken QPR. Put in context of 1^st v 22^nd, taking anything back to East Yorkshire was a splendid outcome. That it was done so with no little heart and a healthy dose of guile is even better.