How Huddersfield Town overcame a Covid outbreak to claim point at Derby County

The virus prevented head coach Carlos Coberan and four first-team players taking part.

First-team coach Danny Schofield said: “I think it was a really positive performance.

“I think the preparation we had in pre-season has been really good, every player in the squad knows their role and responsibility if they have to come into the team so it was really quite a smooth transition to put players in.

“Because we had a little bit of an outbreak within the training ground, the advice was to try and control it as quickly as possible so some players drove to the hotel and arrived at the stadium in their cars.”

Rams chief Wayne Rooney was happy with a point with his club operating under a transfer embargo.

Derby deservedly went ahead in the 39th minute when Curtis Davies, who only re-signed on Friday, bundled the ball in after former Derby attacker Duane Holmes flicked the ball across goal.

But Derby’s weakness at set-plays was exposed in the 45th minute when Sorba Thomas curled in a free-kick and Naby Sarr rose to head in.

Both teams could have won it in the second half although Huddersfield created the better chances and it needed a fine save by Kelle Roos to deny substitute striker Fraizer Campbell in the 81st minute.

Derby County: Roos, Byrne, Stearman, Davies, Forsyth, Bird, Shinnie; Jozwiak (Ebosele 68), Lawrence (Hutchinson 90); Watson (Sibley 53), Kazim-Richards. Unused substitutes: Allsop, Cashin, Thompson, Williams.

Huddersfield Town: Schofield, Pearson, Sarr, Colwill, Turton, Hogg, High; Thomas, Ward (Koroma 64), Rhodes (Campbell 63), Holmes (Sinani 90). Unused substitutes: Vallejo, Brown, Jackson, Roxburgh.

Referee: G Eltringham (Tyne & Wear).