Paul Warne has hinted at starting Dwight Gayle against Charlton Athletic tonight after being impressed with him off the bench in the defeat to Barnsley on Saturday.
Derby County were desperate to make it six games unbeaten in League One as they travelled to Barnsley.
Unfortunately, Derby weren’t at the races and slipped to a 2-1 defeat, leaving them seven points adrift of first-place Portsmouth.
Meanwhile, if Bolton Wanderers win their game in hand the Rams will fall out of the automatic promotion places.
It was Derby’s second consecutive match without top scorer James Collins, who is expected to be out for ‘significant weeks’.
Collins has scored 18 goals in all competitions this term and the 33-year-old’s absence has left a gaping hole in their side.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing filled that for the second game running, although the former Cardiff City man struggled to play with his back to goal and is less effective centrally than he is out wide.
It’s clear that shuffling Mendez-Laing back to his usual position on the left flank and bringing in a natural striker, perhaps Dwight Gayle, is what Warne should consider doing tonight.
Gayle was brought in on a free transfer last week as the club reacted fast to the injury Collins sustained, and he could now be in line to make his full debut after impressing his manager off the bench against Barnsley.
Paul Warne was impressed with Dwight Gayle against Barnsley
Speaking to the Derby Telegraph after the match, Warne waxed lyrical about his attributes and the impact he made coming onto the pitch on Saturday. He also hinted at him making his first start for the club tonight.
“I really liked him,” Warne said. “His movement was really good. He pressed. He went after the keeper a couple of times.
“He’s got pretty good springs, but we had two balls late on where, Kane (Wilson) put it across the six-yard box and he was in the middle of the six.
“And that’s what natural nines do. And that’s why to play without a nine, unless you are Pep Guardiola, is very difficult. I think he brings that experience of playing as a nine as does Waggy.”
Having touched on the difficulties Derby had when they didn’t play a natural number nine, that has opened up the possibility of Gayle starting as a central striker, and it is a plan that Warne should follow through with.
Dwight Gayle should start v Charlton
It is no secret that Derby have struggled in the absence of Collins, who has been so crucial in establishing themselves as promotion candidates.
Gayle was ultimately brought in to fill that void and after doing brilliantly from the bench, he deserves to start against Charlton.
In the 1-0 victory over Stevenage, it took the Rams still the 70th minute to register their first shot on target while on Saturday, they only successfully landed four shots on the Tykes goal.
Of course, that lack of threat lends itself to the Collins injury, but it can be restored by introducing Gayle into proceedings, who looks ready to show why he is still a cut above this level.