Derby County: Boss Paul Warne bemoans lack of fight in Reading defeat
- Published
Derby's defeat at Reading leaves them three points adrift of Portsmouth at the top of the table
Derby County boss Paul Warne said his promotion-chasing side lacked fight in their League One defeat against troubled Reading on Tuesday.
Victory against a Reading side that had only hours earlier been given a suspended three-point deduction for the abandonment of their Port Vale fixture, would have sent the Rams top.
Instead, their second defeat in five league games saw them drop to fourth.
"We let ourselves down, really," Warne told BBC Radio Derby.
"I just didn't think we had enough fight - that is the honest truth.
"I don't want to say that about my dressing room but I just don't think we matched them - their intensity to get on to the second balls, which we are normally very good at.
"We knew that they would have massive pressure in the middle of the pitch and we said 'don't take many touches in the middle, move it quickly' - and we didn't and got caught a few times.
"We didn't win enough personal battles. I just don't think enough of our individuals were at their best."
The loss leaves Derby three points adrift of Portsmouth at the top of the table, although both second-placed Peterborough and Bolton in third have games in hand on the Rams.
While the defeat was their second since the start of 2024, it was also only their second in 14 League One games dating back to October.
In a tame performance by a Rams side looking to return to the Championship after a two-year absence, Derby failed to register a shot on target.
And while winger Corey Blackett-Taylor was given his Derby debut off the bench, the Rams' attack suffered a blow with Arsenal loanee Tyreece John-Jules forced off after picking up another injury.
The 22-year-old striker's time with Derby was heavily impacted by injuries in the first half of the season, with him having missed almost three months of action.
"I'm led to believe it is a hamstring injury," Warne said.
"We have managed him, the physios, everyone has done brilliantly with him and he is such a talent.
"It broke my heart when I saw him come off with his shirt over his head."