Derby County secured an all-important 2-1 victory over Reading last night and Dwight Gayle continued his rich vein of scoring form.
The promotion battle at the top of League One is intense and Derby have handled the pressure brilliantly in recent weeks.
After losing consecutive matches against Barnsley and Charlton Athletic, Paul Warne’s men responded by comfortably dispatching Port Vale and Bristol Rovers.
The Pride Park faithful were hoping to witness three wins in a row for the first time since December and they got their wish as Dwight Gayle’s outside-of-the-boot finish gave the Rams a 1-0 lead.
Reading then fought back minutes later as Sam Smith equalised with their first and only shot on target before Andy Yiadom was shown a second yellow card on the hour mark, handing the initiative back to Derby.
Gayle then latched onto a searching ball and won a penalty in the 70th minute after goalkeeper Joel Pereira tripped him up in the box.
Conor Hourihane stepped up and sidefooted his spot kick coolly into the bottom left corner to hand the hosts an important victory where Gayle was the star of the show once more.
Dwight Gayle hailed as ‘terrific’ in win over Reading
Warne deserves huge credit for acting fast after watching James Collins suffer a serious injury against Exeter City. Their response to that devastating news was to bring Gayle into the club, and it has proven to be a masterstroke.
The 34-year-old has taken little time to settle into his new surroundings and has now scored for three games running.
Evidently, the veteran forward has made a huge impact since arriving at Pride Park. He’s a level above the opposition he’s coming up against. His first touch is class, he makes intelligent movements in behind and his ability to sniff out chances in the box is second to none.
Despite reaching the twilight years of his career, his attributes as an incredible EFL striker show no signs of slowing down, and many, including journalist Leigh Curtis, have waxed lyrical about his displays.
The goal Gayle scored was a proper striker’s goal. His touch, as Curtis said, was exquisite and he had the composure to caress the ball into the roof of the net with an emphatic finish.
He’s showcased his quality in the final third when it has mattered and in the absence of top scorer Collins, the former Newcastle man has been terrific in that central striker role.
Once Collins returns to the side, possibly at the end of March, the prospect of them playing together is a mouth-watering one for Derby supporters.