DERBY County are being linked with two strikers currently playing in Holland.
Reports say the Rams are planning a move for 22-year-old Luc Castaignos in the January window.
Castaignos plays for FC Twente, the club Rams head coach Steve McClaren managed and is a Dutch Under-21 international.
He has scored nine goals in 14 games for Twente, who could ask a big fee for the player who still has two years to run on his contract.
Czech Republic international Tomas Necid has also been linked with the Rams.
The 25-year-old is on loan at PEC Zwolle from CSKA Moscow.
Rams' head of football operations, Chris Evans, has been scouting in Holland.

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DERBY aero engine-maker Rolls-Royce is celebrating following a decision by an airline to take up an option on its engines to power new aircraft.

Air New Zealand has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, which are designed, developed and built at the firm's civil aerospace division in Sinfin, to power two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.

The deal, the cost of which has not been disclosed, also includes a TotalCare agreement, which will see Rolls-Royce look after the engines throughout their service life.

Air New Zealand had previously ordered 10 Rolls-Royce-powered Dreamliners.

Its decision to "firm up" an option on a further two takes the total number to 12.

Dominic Horwood, Rolls-Royce's chief customer officer for civil large engines, said: "Air New Zealand has a special place in the Trent 1000 story and we value its decision to select our engine.

"The Trent 1000 delivers the best lifetime fuel burn performance and reliability on the aircraft."

Air New Zealand was the first airline to order Trent 1000 engines a decade ago.

In July this year it became the first airline to receive a Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

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A RUPTURED gas main caused flames to leap several feet into the air in a Derbyshire town.

The blaze happened at about 12.20am on Sunday in a wooded area off Charles Street, with emergency services cordoning off an area of 50 metres.

No-one was injured. Footage of the fire can be seen in the video below.

An Aldi supermarket in the area was also closed.

DERBY County's Capital One Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea will be refereed by Jonathan Moss.
The West Yorkshire official will take charge of the last-eight clash at the iPro Stadium on Tuesday, December 16.
He will be assisted by John Brooks and Stuart Burt, with David Coote named as the fourth official.
Moss was the referee for Derby's 2-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road last season.
This term, he has shown five red cards and 41 yellows in 11 Premier League matches.
He took charge of Chelsea's 6-3 victory at Everton at the end of August.

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DERBY County have been drawn at home against non-League side Southport in the FA Cup third round.

The Rams, top of the Championship, will take on the Sandgrounders, fifth from bottom in the Conference Premier, at the iPro Stadium on the weekend of January 3-4.

Cup holders Arsenal were drawn at home to Hull City in a rematch of last season's final, while Manchester United will travel to either Accrington Stanley or Yeovil Town.

Premier League leaders Chelsea were drawn at home to Watford, while Manchester City will be at home to Sheffield Wednesday and Liverpool will visit AFC Wimbledon.

Rams' arch rivals Nottingham Forest will be away to either Aldershot or Rochdale.

FA CUP THIRD ROUND DRAW:

Arsenal v Hull City

Southampton v Ipswich

Stoke v Wrexham

Charlton v Blackburn

Dover v Crystal Palace

AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool

Manchester City v Sheffield Wednesday

Aldershot/Rochdale v Nottingham Forest

West Brom v Gateshead

Blyth Spartans v Birmingham

Aston Villa v Blackpool

Rotherham v Bournemouth

Huddersfield v Reading

Oxford/Tranmere v Swansea

Cardiff v Colchester

Bolton v Wigan

Sunderland v Leeds

Burnley v Tottenham

Millwall v Bradford

Derby County v Southport

Brentford v Brighton

Fulham v Wolves

Leicester v Newcastle

Scunthorpe/Worcester v Chesterfield

Everton v West Ham

Cambridge/Mansfield v Bury/Luton

Chelsea v Watford

Barnsley/Chester v Middlesbrough

QPR v Sheffield United

Accrington/Yeovil v Manchester United

Preston v Norwich

Doncaster v Bristol City

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The following people have all appeared before magistrates charged with using a colour television without a licence.

NAZLI Atra Atrafenejad, 34, of 10 Mead Close, Sinfin, was fined £35 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence between May 18 and June 19.

BETH Birds, 29, of Cemetery Road, Belper, was fined £70 and ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 surcharge for an offence on June 6.

BEN Doyle, 22, of Milton Street, Derby, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 4.

DOMINIC Dutton, 40, of Mansfield Road, Alfreton, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 26.

JASON Dyer, 39, of Reeves Road, Derby, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £120 costs and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 10.

JOHN Eyre, 49, of Tudor Falls, Heanor, was fined £215 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £22 victim surcharge for an offence on June 7.

STEWART Finegan, 58, of Richmond Road, Derby, was fined £130 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence between July 19 and August 20.

DAVID Flinn, 52, of Danesby Rise, Denby, was fined £400 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £40 victim surcharge for an offence on June 8.

JOSHUA Gamble, 21, of Boyer Walk, Derby, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 6.

LADISLAV Godla, 25, of Whitaker Street, Derby, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 16.

MOHIT Gogona, 39, of Carlyle Street, Sinfin, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 17.

STEPHANIE Graham, 30, of Harvey Road, Derby, was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 victim surcharge for an offence on June 19.

TIFFANY Hancock, 23, of Farm Street, Derby, was fined £35 and ordered to pay costs of £120 and a £20 surcharge for an offence on June 4.

A 43-YEAR-OLD woman has received a suspended jail sentence after dishonestly claiming almost £12,000 from Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Tracy Miller, of Pilsley, near Chatsworth, was also ordered to repay the benefits money and £765 court costs after pleading guilty at Chesterfield Magistrates' Court to eight charges of making false representations in two separate benefit claim forms and dishonestly failing to declare changes to her circumstances.

Derbyshire Dales District Council said Miller declared in an initial claim form for housing and council tax benefit submitted in May 2011 that she was single with one dependent child and did not own or jointly own any property. She submitted a change of address form in January 2012 and again declared she was single.

Following an anonymous referral that Mrs Miller was married, the district council later discovered she had lived with a partner since the start of the claim and had married in September 2012. In addition, Miller jointly owned a property with an ex-husband and had received almost £26,000 from the sale proceeds. It was also found that her latest job generated a significantly higher income than the one declared to the council.

Miller's claim between 16 May 2011 and 14 October 2013 resulted in a total overpayment by the council of £11,819.17 in respect of housing and council tax benefit. She is repaying the money back at a rate of £75 a month.

Miller received a 16-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid community work.

A LEADING Labour MP put the focus on immigration problems when he visited Derbyshire today.

Shadow Immigration Minister David Hanson said the debate on immigration had to be balanced because of both the positive and negatives it brings.

He made the comments after visiting parts of Amber Valley and Erewash yesterday in the run-up to next year's General Election.

Mr Hanson – the MP for Delyn, in north Wales – said he came to the county to discuss people's concerns about immigration and what could be done to address them.

He visited the Steamboat Inn, in Trent Lock, near Long Eaton, before heading to the café in the Cooperative store, in Ripley.

Mr Hanson said he felt such visits were important and had been asked by Labour leader Ed Miliband to listen to what people were saying on the issue across the country.

He said: "I listened to a range of concerns during my visit, including how migration issues are affecting employment agencies and worries about Eastern European migration.

"One thing which became clear was the concerns people have about employment and job security in general, which came out as we talked about immigration.

"But we also talked about the benefits too – such as attracting students, business and investment to this country.

"It's important that any debate on this issue is balanced and it was nice to have a good catch-up with people in this area about these issues."

Mr Hanson was joined on the visits by two Labour prospective Parliamentary candidates, Catherine Atkinson and Kevin Gillott.

Ms Atkinson, of Sandiacre, will be vying for the Erewash seat in next year's election, which is currently under Conservative control. But MP Jessica Lee has stated she will not contest the next election.

And Mr Gillott will contest the Amber Valley seat, currently held by Tory MP Nigel Mills.

Mr Hanson said: "Mr Gillott invited me here because he wanted me to hear what people were saying about this issue.

"I explained that, first of all, we would strengthen our boarders by investing in 1,000 new board guards.

"On the jobs front, we would look at giving local councils the authority to enforce the minimum wage and stop agencies from being able to recruit without advertising locally.

"Immigration is a challenge – but it's not something which we can have a simple argument about or even that there is a simple solution.

"And what people need to decided in the next election is how they want this issue tackling and if they want some serious, positive solutions."

DERBY City Council is attempting to claim about £5.5 million from insurers for the losses from the fire damaged Assembly Rooms.

A property insurance claim for the venue, which was submitted in March, is currently being discussed by insurers and the city council.

The authority has estimated the figure using the cost of repairs and loss of revenue it has seen.

But Derby's UKIP leader Alan Graves criticised the council and said the insurance claim should have been decided sooner.

He said: "It's a great shame because this has been going on for such a long time. It should have been sorted a while ago.

"The Labour authority talks about the fact there is no money, yet the Assembly Rooms is a place where we can earn income if it is open.

"Every day it's closed we are not earning as a city. If it was a private business then the issue would have been dealt with."

Mr Graves said leaders at Derby City Council should engage more people in a debate about the future of the venue.

The fire shut the venue earlier this year and also closed its public toilets.

At its height, 75 firefighters and 16 engines were at the scene of the fire as flames 40ft high leapt into the sky. Experts found that the blaze was caused by overheating machinery.

The Assembly Rooms car park reopened on June 16 after structural work was completed.

Conservative city councillor and shadow cabinet member for neighbourhoods Chris Poulter, said: "I would have expected that the claim would have been negotiated with insurers. And, while I would not expect it to have been done overnight, I think it should have been sorted before now.

"The Assembly Rooms is a vital venue and it's important to the nighttime economy of the city. To keep it closed could seriously damage the city economy as a whole.

"It needed to be sorted quicker and discussions need to be taken quickly to minimise disruption."

He also said the closure has left Derby Live staff "in limbo".

And deputy leader of the Conservative group Matthew Holmes said: "The further delay announced in regard to deciding on possible options is just one more example of weak and indecisive leadership from an administration that seems to be completely out of its depth."

A spokesman for Derby City Council said: "We are in advanced discussions with the insurers with a view to reaching a cash settlement for the losses incurred.

"The figure quoted is the council's current estimate of the loss.

"It is the council's current estimate of the value of the cost of repairs to property and loss of revenue following the fire, and we are using these figures as a basis for discussion with our insurers to come to an agreed settlement."

The closure of the Assembly Rooms has previously led some business leaders to question whether it could affect the city's Purple Flag status.

Martin Langsdale, chairman of the Cathedral Quarter Management Group, has previously said the future of the venue is "an important aspect in the diversity of the evening economy as the venue attracted a diverse range of people into the city centre in the early evening to enjoy quality performances".

TWO brothers and their father have been sentenced for attacking two security officers in Intu Derby.

One of the officers was left "bleeding profusely from his face" and the other had cuts and lumps to his head and pain and bruising to his back and leg after being assaulted by James Rowland, 28, his brother, Connor, 18, and father John, 48.

Derby Crown Court heard that all three were disgusted by their behaviour after they watched CCTV footage of the incident.

Handing them all six-month sentences, suspended for a year, Judge Michael Elsom said: "It doesn't need me to tell you three that you should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves to find yourselves where you are, because two of you have never darkened the doors of a court room before and John, you have been out of trouble for a very long time.

"Sometimes videos make the position of the defendants far worse but this one caused me some doubt of what I had read in the (victims') statements."

But, he added, the footage showed "a thoroughly disgraceful episode".

The court heard that the security officers had gone to the parking area of intu just before midnight on May 2 after seeing the group "being destructive".

Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said that when the officers arrived, James had refused to put a sign down and was aggressive. John had intervened to get his son away but it got out of hand and James butted one of the officers. Miss Allen said: "He said it caused him a lot of pain. He pushed James away from him but James then punched him repeatedly to the face."

The security officer managed to get James to the floor but he continued to try to kick and punch him while on the floor, said Miss Allen.

The father's involvement was swinging a sign at one of the workers and attempting to hit another – he missed both times.

Connor "repeatedly assaulted (one of the officers), punching and kicking him and stamping on his head", said Miss Allen.

The court was told that James and John had both been drinking, though Connor was sober.

Stuart Newsam, for James, said: "This is a shameful incident and one that belies the man, one may think, when one meets him sober."

Kelly Shooter, for Connor, said: "The defendant shows a real shame and self-disgust. He had not consumed any alcohol and is unable to explain his own behaviour."

Justin Ablott, for John, said his client had shown "genuine remorse" and was particularly upset that he had not shown a good example to his sons.

Mr Ablott said John had been going through a lot of stress.

All three pleaded guilty to affray. James and Connor, of Moor Drive, Alvaston, admitted assault causing actual bodily harm and John, of Rossa Lane, Trusthorpe, Mablethorpe, admitted common assault.

They must all pay £135 costs and an £80 surcharge and James and Connor must each do 150 hours of unpaid work.

SEEING Kwame Thomas make his debut for Derby County at Leeds United set me thinking about players who have progressed through the academy/youth system and into the first team.

Fantastic servants like Ron Webster, Peter Daniels and Steve Powell did so in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Between them, the trio played 1,201 games for Derby.

Sifting through all of the youth-team products would be a significant task and so I will concentrate on the graduates I have seen in the first team since the year 2000.

Goalkeepers Lee Grant and Lee Camp have both enjoyed excellent careers at Derby and other clubs.

Defenders who have made the step up include Chris Riggott, Steve Elliott, Miles Addison, Lewin Nyatanga, Pablo Mills, Ian Evatt and Mark O'Brien.

In midfield, there is Tom Huddlestone, Will Hughes, Jeff Hendrick and Adam Murray.

Hughes and Hendrick, of course, are key players in the Rams squad that currently sits top of the Championship.

Forward players to have emerged from the youth ranks include Dean Sturridge, Giles Barnes, Marcus Tudgay, Izale McLeod, Lee Holmes and Mason Bennett.

Others to make the step up and appear in the first team from 2000 onwards are Gary Twigg, Callum Ball, Nathan Doyle, Marvin Robinson, Lionel Ainsworth, Jason Beardsley, Mitch Hanson and Paris Simmons.

Just as a bit of fun, here is a starting XI of the above players in the same formation used by head coach Steve McClaren.

Grant

Mills,  Riggott, Elliott, Nyatanga

Hughes, Huddlestone, Hendrick

Barnes, Sturridge, Tudgay

Subs: Camp (gk), Evatt, Addison, Murray, Holmes, McLeod, Bennett.

NO Derby County player has scored more than 25 goals in a season since Bobby Davison, who last week received the Merit Award at the Rams Former Players' Association annual dinner.

Davison hit 26 league and cup goals in 1984-85 as Derby finished seventh in the old Third Division in what was manager Arthur Cox's first season in charge.

Chris Martin threatened Davison's tally last season when he scored 25 goals and he looks in the mood to better that total this season.

His double in Saturday's comfortable victory over Brighton took him to 14.

Martin was one of the topics of conversation when I caught up with Davison last week.

The ex-Rams striker has seen Martin play for Derby and also for Scotland, and he is impressed with what he sees.

"The best way I can describe Chris is that centre-halves playing against him know they have been in a game. That is the biggest compliment I can give him," said Davison.

"He can score goals, he can hold the ball up and he is physical. He has got a lot going for him.

"I have seen him in a Derby shirt and playing for Scotland.

"I was at their match against Georgia and in Warsaw for the qualifier against Poland when Chris came off the bench."

Davison is pleased to see Martin "staying on his feet" more in games.

"He is moving away from falling down too much," said Davison.

"I have seen him a few times go down with minimal contact. He doesn't need to do that."

Davison was leading scorer in five consecutive seasons at Derby and finished with 106 goals in 249 appearances for the Rams.

Martin top-scored for the club last season and is leading scorer so far this season.

His record for Derby since signing on a free from Norwich City is 41 goals in 88 games.

LEON Best is still waiting for his first goal in a Derby County shirt.

Best's opportunities to start this season have ben limited and he has had to be content with appearances off the bench during this loan spell from Blackburn Rovers.

His two starts came in the Capital One Cup ties against Charlton Athletic and Reading, both won by Derby.

He has appeared 14 times as a substitute, although he had not featured in six matches before he came on for Chris Martin in the second minute of stoppage time at the end of the Brighton game on Saturday.

I am sure Best would like to have figured more this season but he was always likely to have to wait and be patient given the form of Martin and the 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 system Derby play.

Head coach Steve McClaren tells me Best's attitude has been excellent.

"He's a terrific, terrific lad and he is certainly training very well," said McClaren. "He has had to wait but he knew that."

FIFTY years ago this week, Derby County found themselves immersed in a remarkable sequence of high-scoring draws.

Five successive draws saw them score 13 and concede the same number.

They had three 3-3 draws against Middlesbrough, Southampton and Crystal Palace, and two 2-2 draws against Newcastle United and Northampton Town.

Alan Durban hit five of the 13 goals and Eddie Thomas four.

Derby finished the season ninth in Division Two, having scored 84 goals and conceded 79.

LITTLE wonder chief executive Sam Rush is full of smiles.

Derby County sit top of the Championship and Rush is riding high in the table himself.

Head coach Steve McClaren revealed that Rush was leading the Prediction League held among the staff at the training ground and at the iPro Stadium, although he has since dropped to second behind physio George Polglass.

"We do wonder what the chief executive does all week! Now we know," McClaren joked.

McClaren is third in the Prediction League.

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HEAD Coach Steve McClaren says he will learn a lot more about his Derby County team during a crunch period of three games in eight days.

Derby face Middlesbrough away on Saturday followed by a Capital One Cup quarter-final tie against Chelsea at the iPro Stadium a week today before Norwich City visit in the League.

Middlesbrough sit fourth in the Championship and only two points behind leaders Derby.

Boro thrashed Millwall 5-1 at the weekend and have lost only one of their last 15 League games.

They also have the meanest defence in the division with 15 goals conceded in 20 matches.

Premier League leaders Chelsea visit the iPro for the second time this year having beaten Derby 2-0 in the FA Cup in January.

A place in the last four of the League Cup is at stake, something the Rams have achieved only twice in the history of the competition.

Norwich were favourites for promotion before a ball was kicked this season and started the campaign like a train but have stumbled in the past couple of months. Saturday's win at Wigan was only their second in the last 11 games.

The Canaries are perched eighth in the Championship and eight points behind Derby.

Rams boss McClaren sees the upcoming programme as a "big week".

He added: "My old club, Middlesbrough, are going well and so that is a tasty head-to-head. Then Chelsea come here, as do Norwich, who won on Saturday.

"It is what I call a big week, a real test, a real challenge for the players.

"It is not going to define the season, it is not going to win or lose anything but we are going to learn a lot more about our team."

MISERABLE and unsettled weather is set to hit Derbyshire this week but the chance of ground snow is unlikely, according to forecasters.

The Met Office said gale-force winds are predicted throughout the week and it has issued a weather warning for wind later in the week.

A spokesman said: "It will be a frosty start to Tuesday and in places there will be zero temperatures.

"Temperatures will rise to highs of 7C but it will not get higher than that.

"In the afternoon it will get very windy and there will be 35mph, which is very windy, but not quite gale force. There is still no chance of snow.

"Wednesday will be more of a mixed day.

"In the afternoon there will be strong gale force gusts of wind of 40mph.

"Temperatures will also fall to 6C, but it will feel much cooler than that."

The spokesman said more gale force gusts were forecast for the weather warning, which covers 9pm on Thursday until 6pm on Friday.

He said: "There is the potential for gales or severe gales to develop across much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland during Thursday night and into Friday.

"This will last for much of the day, before slowly easing from the west during the afternoon and into the evening.

"A band of heavy rain, with snow on northern hills, will accompany the low pressure system. This will push quickly south-east through the day.

"In addition to the very strong winds, some overtopping waves are possible on western and southern coasts of England and Wales.

"The public should be aware of the risk of disruption to travel and perhaps power supplies."

Burton forecaster Paul Carfoot said it was going to be a week of intense unsettled conditions.

He said: "The county will soon be hit by a big storm which will begin with frost in the morning on Tuesday, and then gusts and gale force winds in the next few days.

"On Wednesday, what will start with sleet will bring very icy conditions in the morning.

"People need to be aware of these conditions because it will cause strong winds."

He said there is a good chance of snow in high ground, but it still remained unlikely elsewhere.

He said: "Later in the week it will be even colder and this week is the start of some miserable and unsettled conditions."

TWO brothers have been jailed for sexually assaulting the same girl on different occasions more than five years ago.

Craig and Darran Hewitt, previously of Chellaston, who both denied the offences were convicted by a jury.

Craig Hewitt, now 24 and of Turner Road, Long Eaton, was 17 when on one occasion he sexually assaulted and caused the girl, who was under 13, to engage in sexual activity. He has been jailed for two years.

Darran Hewitt, now 26 and of Longdale Drive, Derby, was found guilty of sexually assaulting the girl and causing her to engage in sexual activity on two separate occasions. He was 17 or 18, and 19 or 20, at the time. He was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Derby Crown Court heard that the girl had felt lonely and isolated at the time. In a victim impact statement, which was read to the court, she said that, as the trial approached, she felt "worried and frightened".

She wrote: "I have lost all my friends because I cannot be normal and silly with them and I'm always scared I will be judged.

"I want to make my life better. I want to feel better about myself. I am hoping I can now do this."

Jailing the brothers, Judge John Burgess said: "She was vulnerable and you (Darran Hewitt) were significantly older. You did this on two separate occasions. You have shown no remorse – you were convicted at trial."

He said that Craig Hewitt might have been influenced by his older brother, but the judge did not blame Darran Hewitt for this.

Judge Burgess said to Craig Hewitt: "You were younger than him by two years – 17 at the time. Young, but old enough to know what you were doing was wrong.

"She told no-one until much later – she told her sister. It's plain what happened to her has caused her distress and emotional pain.

"It's encouraging, though, that she wants to get on with her life."

The judge told the brothers he appreciated they had been much younger when the offences were committed and had he read a large number of references that spoke "very highly" of them. Both were ordered not to contact the victim.

Craig Hewitt must sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and Darran Hewitt indefinitely.

They will both be barred from working with children.

FIREFIGHTERS in Derbyshire will take part in a 24-hour strike from 9am on Tuesday over pensions and retirement ages.

Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said: "Firefighters in England are reluctantly calling further strike action as a direct result of the Westminster government's failure to listen and negotiate over pensions."

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service will continue to provide an emergency response service but at a reduced level.

POLICE cordoned off part of Derby city centre after a man was involved in a collision with a bus.

Officers and paramedics from East Midlands Ambulance Service were called to the incident at about 12.50pm on Monday.

It is understood the man was partially underneath the Trent Barton bus for a short amount of time.

The collision happened in the Morledge, just outside Derby Bus Station and next to the Cockpit Island car park.

A spokesman for Derbyshire police said he was initially treated by paramedics at the back of an ambulance, before being taken to hospital.

He said the man, 60, from Derby, suffered a head injury but it was not thought to be serious.

The spokesman said: "The collision happened close to the traffic lights and just underneath the Cockpit Island car park where it crosses over the top of the Morledge.

"The man was involved in a collision with a bus but he is not thought to be seriously injured.

"Officers from the scene reported that he was sat up and talking."

The incident has prompted comment about the layout of the road on the Derby Telegraph's website. One reader said: "Badly designed entrance and exit. Overall, poor configuration of road layout."

And another said: "It is time for a real shake-up of the design. I hope the person is okay."

At least one ambulance and two police cars were called to the scene, with officers directing traffic while the incident was being dealt with.

Although the Morledge was not fully closed, traffic was delayed during the incident and bus services were also affected.

The police spokesman said the bus was not damaged in the collision and it was driven back to the bus depot, in Meadow Road.

He said the vehicle was being examined by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency. The man was taken to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre for treatment for his head injury.

Scores of people used the Derby Telegraph's page on social networking website Facebook to send their best wishes to all involved.

Nichola Amber Jade Daly-Vowles said: "My fiancé is a driver for the same company and I often catch his last bus back to the depot with him. I feel for the person injured but also for the driver involved."

Helen Robinson said: "Just seen this as I was leaving town, awful. Hope he is okay."

No-one from Trent Barton was available for comment.

THE latest of the young breed is to make his Benz-Bavarian Duffield debut in their Premier Squash League match at home to Birmingham Lions tonight.

Richie Fallows, the 19-year-old current European Junior champion, will line up for the Derbyshire club as the PSL group stages reach the midway point of the season.

Duffield are 17 points clear at the top of Division A after winning all four of their matches so far and team manager Felix Frixou is to send out another strong side to take on Birmingham, who are in the mix for the second play-off spot with two wins and two defeats.

Nick Matthew – playing in the final of the British Grand Prix last night – and Chris Simpson fill the top two spots but the other three members of the team are all under the age of 23, with Fallows joined by Declan James (21) and Millie Tomlinson (22).

Frixou has also included 19-year-old Ashley Davies and 24-year-old Adam Murrills in his side this season and says it is very much part of his policy to plan for the future.

"It would be too easy for us to rest on our laurels with Nick and Laura (Massaro) but we are giving experience to players who can be a part of this club's success for a long time and that has to be a good thing," he said.

Fallows made four PSL appearances for champions Surrey last season, winning once, and has been in good form since landing the European title in Finland in April, becoming one of the youngest Englishmen to win a PSA World Tour squash title when he overcame the top two seeds to take the Pilatus Cup in Switzerland in June and beating world number 38 Alan Clyne to reach the semi-finals of the London Open last month.

James has been a winner in both his PSL outings this season and was the hero of Duffield's victory against the odds away to Coolhurst London two weeks ago.

"That was the crucial game of the match and Dec played the best game of his life to come through for us," said Frixou.

"Coolhurst did not expect Dec to beat Raphael Kandra like that and were practically celebrating beating us. They could not believe they lost it.

"That's just typical of the spirit we have at the club and I'm already looking at some very difficult decisions when I come to name my team for the play-offs."

HEAD coach Roxy Fearon praised the character of his young players after Derby made it back-to-back wins in Midlands One East.

Derby had to come from behind to claim a narrow victory away to Market Rasen & Louth.

"It was a positive performance," said Fearon.

"We are learning to cope without some key players and our young players are starting to mature.

"We went behind and in the past, we have not had the character to come back – but this time, we did.

"We probably could have had more points but when you've not been winning, the result is all that matters."

With Pete Wilcox unavailable, Sam Thompson made his first start of the season, while Sam Tebbs, Ben Coombes and Adam Glover all returned to the starting XV.

"Being without Pete Wilcox was a challenge but Sam Thompson came in and did well," said Fearon.

"He's starting to realise his potential, which is important for us and his own personal development.

"Sam Tebbs scored a nice try and proved his ability, while George Campbell showed he can play first-team rugby.

"In the pack, Ben Trembling continues to develop, as does Josh Tomms.

"Ben Coombes captained the side (in the absence of Ceri White) and led from the front, while Sam Hobbs was man of the match.

"We also had a strong bench, which has not always been the case this season."

Derby travelled to Willingham Road looking to build on their victory against Mansfield, which had ended a run of five defeats.

The visitors went ahead after 13 minutes.

The ball went through the backs, before arriving at Tebbs, who beat the last two men and touched down for a fine try. George Castledine converted.

Market Rasen lost a man to the sin bin but Derby could not take advantage and the home side hit back with two tries in five minutes.

One of them was converted to give the hosts a 12-7 lead.

Derby replied on the stroke of half-time. Trembling took the line out and the forwards stormed over the line, with Hobbs touching down.

Market Rasen started the second half well and scored a try in the corner. A penalty soon followed, putting them eight points clear.

After 59 minutes, the home side had another player sin-binned and, this time, Derby made them pay.

First, the pack pushed the Market Rasen scrum over their own try line, with Tom Taylor-Dawes touching down.

Then Derby struck again, keeping the ball alive through many phases before Ben Marlow crossed the line.

Castledine converted both tries to put the visitors six points in front, taking his season's tally past 100 in the process.

A penalty from Castledine, after Market Rasen had a third player yellow-carded, took Derby two scores clear.

The visitors conceded a late try but finished strongly to further ease their relegation worries.

DERBY Trailblazers failed to defend a 14-point lead as Essex Leopards maintained their unbeaten start to the NBL Division One season with an overtime win.

The Blazers held that 14-point advantage going into the final seven minutes of regulation time but saw it gradually whittled away by the Leopards.

Essex's fightback forced the match into overtime and the visitors then sneaked away with a 92-89 win, much to the frustration of Derby's head coach Matt Shaw.

"Saturday's game was a real heartbreaker for us because the game was right there for us to win and it got snatched away from our grasp," said Shaw.

"I can't complain about our guys' effort level. We gave everything we had but we made a few mental mistakes in the last few moments and they hit some big shots, while we missed some good looks at the basket."

Despite the defeat, the Trailblazers remain top of Division One but their record is now 8-2, while Leopards remain second with a perfect 5-0 record.

Derby had looked well in control of the match throughout the opening three quarters and when Chris Shalvoy followed up a pair of free-throws with his third three-pointer to open up a 78-64 lead with seven minutes remaining, a Trailblazers victory seemed like a mere formality.

Shavloy's points were the culmination of the 16-0 run, which had straddled the break between the third and fourth quarters.

However, Derby hadn't factored in the kind of response which Leopards were about to produce.

A basket from Courtney Van Beest was followed by two three-point plays from David Ajumobi, either side of another Shalvoy triple.

Albert Margai then converted two out of a possible four shots from the line and, after another score from Shalvoy, Leopards added eight points without reply as Van Beest scored a deuce and Margai converted a pair of three-pointers.

All of a sudden, it was a one-point game at 83-82 with two minutes and two seconds on the clock.

Both sides missed shots before Raheem May-Thompson was fouled but he agonisingly missed both shots from the line.

However, Lamar Morrison was there to bag the offensive rebound and take the score to 85-82.

A lengthy Leopards offense resulted in a missed shot by Margai, leaving Derby with 26 seconds on the clock and a chance to secure their ninth win of the season.

Surprisingly the visitors called their final time-out, giving the Trailblazers a free chance to plan their offence but the strategy paid off as the Leopards managed to force Derby into turning the ball over on the baseline.

Ajumobi then drove inside and scored while drawing a foul, thereby securing the chance to tie the game from the free-throw line with only three seconds left.

His bonus shot dropped and although the Blazers got a good look at the basket, Dorr's three-pointer was off target, forcing the game into overtime with the scores tied at 85.

Once into the extra period, it seemed no-one was capable of breaking the deadlock.

Lucas Winegarner was the first player to miss, before Derby turned the ball over and Margai missed from downtown.

Shalvoy's long-range attempt also clanged back off the ironwork and May-Thompson was off target with his attempted put back.

Strong defense from the Trailblazers then forced a 24-second violation but Derby still couldn't score as May-Thompson's attempt was blocked by Van Beest.

Finally, with two minutes and 22 seconds on the clock, a three-pointer from Leopards veteran point-guard Ronnie Baker broke not only the deadlock but also Derby's hearts.

Dorr got the ball inside for a deuce via a Shalvoy assist, cutting the gap to 87-88.

However, Leopards grabbed an offensive rebound and when Margai was fouled again, he made both shots to take Leopards into a three-point lead with fourteen seconds remaining and there was no way back for Derby. 

GIANT-KILLINGS are what make the FA Cup the greatest domestic knockout competition in football.

Those of a certain vintage (me, included) will recall Colchester United dumping out mighty Leeds United and Hereford humbling Newcastle United in the early 1970s.

The third round of this season's competition will be played early next month and a healthy non-League contingent is eyeing notable scalps.

Derby County's task is to make sure they are not one having been drawn against Southport of the Conference Premier.

Southport have eliminated Tamworth, Dagenham & Redbridge and Eastleigh. They will relish a trip to the iPro Stadium, although Derby, top of the Championship, should have too much for the team from the fifth tier.

Derby have suffered FA Cup embarrassment and scares at the hands of non-League opponents.

In 1955, they survived an upset against Crook Town in the first round by winning a replay 5-1 following a 2-2 draw but humiliation lurked around the next corner.

Boston United of the Midland League arrived at the Baseball Ground for a second-round tie in the December and won 6-1!

To rub salt in a gaping wound, the Boston side featured six former Derby players including Reg Harrison, who had won the Cup with the Rams in 1946.

One of the ex-Rams was Geoff Hazledine and he scored a hat-trick in what remains a record away win by a non-League team against League opponents in the FA Cup.

Derby found themselves on the receiving end again a year later when they lost 3-1 to New Brighton at the Baseball Ground.

New Brighton had been members of the Football League from 1923 until 1951 and went on to reach the fourth round that season where they lost 9-0 to First Division leaders, Burnley.

Boston United, again, Telford United and Forest Green Rovers have also made Derby sweat.

Boston held the Rams to a goalless draw in a third-round tie at the Baseball Ground in January 1974 before Archie Gemmill's hat-trick helped to restore order as Derby won the replay 6-1.

Derby met Telford, of the Alliance Premier League, twice in three seasons in the mid-80s.

A Bobby Davison hat-trick edged out the non-Leaguers 3-2 in a fourth-round tie in February 1984 in front of 21,488.

Derby progressed to the quarter-finals, only to lose a home replay to Plymouth Argyle but they won their biggest battle by avoiding a winding-up order in the High Court.

Much of the season had been played to a backdrop of financial trouble and relegation worries. The Rams dropped into the Third Division but recovery had started by the time Telford returned to the Baseball Ground for a second-round tie in December 1985.

This time Derby progressed in emphatic style.

Jeff Chandler scored the first hat-trick of his senior career, Gary Micklewhite bagged two goals and John Gregory opened his account for the Rams as they stormed to a 6-1 win.

Arthur Cox's team was taking shape nicely.

Derby reached the fifth round, where they lost to Sheffield Wednesday in a replay at Hillsborough, Carl Shutt scoring twice but more importantly, the Rams secured promotion from the old Third Division.

Only six years ago, Derby stared down the barrel of a huge upset on a bitingly-cold afternoon in Gloucestershire.

Humiliation circled like a vulture as the Rams trailed 2-0 and then 3-2 with 18 minutes of their third-round tie against Forest Green Rovers remaining.

Sat shivering in an overcrowded press box at The New Lawn with frozen fingers trying to locate the correct keys on my laptop, I started to write of a Cup embarrassment to rival those of Boston and New Brighton.

Derby had dropped from the Premier League like a stone and had endured a torrid time back in the Championship. Manager Paul Jewell had quit a few days' before the Forest Green tie leaving his assistant Chris Hutchings in charge, his one and only game at the helm.

Seventy-six places separated Derby and Forest Green in the League pyramid but the Rams finally found their feet on a frozen pitch. Paul Green made it 3-3 before Steve Davies converted a winning penalty four minutes from time to complete a Houdini-style escape. Frozen fingers bashed out a re-write.

Two years later, in January 2011, there was no escape for Derby as they crashed out at the third-round stage against non-League Crawley Town on a wet and windy night in West Sussex.

The game was moved for TV and the tie screamed "giant-killing".

Derby were in poor form, while Crawley sat second in the Blue Square Bet Premier Division.

Miles Addison looked to have spared the Rams' blushes with an equaliser 18 minutes into the second half after Craig McAllister had swept Crawley ahead in the first half but the home side delivered the knock-out punch in stoppage time when Sergio Torres smashed in a winning goal.

THE FA Cup third round tie between Derby County and Southport early next month will not be the first meeting between the two sides in the competition.

They met in a third-round tie in 1949 with Southport in the Third Division and Derby riding high in the top flight having already been described as the "team of the year".

The Rams laboured at times to a 4-1 win, Reg Harrison and Tommy Powell each scoring twice, and the Baseball Ground pitch was also a factor.

"After the first few minutes of the game the pitch had ploughed up into a miniature battlefield, with the ball mud-caked and the weight of a cannonball," was how a match report in the Derby Evening Telegraph described matters.

Derby reached the quarter-finals that season only to lose

2-1 at Portsmouth in front of a record attendance at Fratton Park of 51,385.

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