Derby County ace lauded for 'excellent' Leyton Orient display after tough start to Rams career
15/04/2024 09:59
Derby County recorded a vital victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Leyton Orient 3-0 to put automatic promotion back in their hands led by a dominant Sonny Bradley display.
Derby County controlled the game and picked up a deserved three points at Pride Park Stadium. They secured the points thanks to a George Moncur own goal and an unlikely brace from centre-back Bradley.
With just two games to go, Paul Warne’s side sit 2nd in the table with a four-point lead on Bolton Wanderers in 3rd place. Bolton do have a game in hand, whilst 4th place Peterborough United have two, although if the East Midlands outfit win their final two matches, they will now seal promotion.
Former Luton Town captain Bradley returned to the fold against the O’s following a three-game suspension for a straight red card that he picked up late into the Rams’ defeat against Northampton Town last month.
The 32-year-old had a tough start to life with Warne’s men, only really getting an extended run in the side since the turn of the year. But, having missed the last three, there were doubts over whether he would slot back in or not before the end of the season.
Warne shuffled his side from the 0-0 draw with Wycombe Wanderers and Bradley found himself straight back into the starting XI after suspension. It is fair to say he made up for his absence, with DerbyshireLive reporter Leigh Curtis handing him an 8.5/10 rating for his display at the weekend, saying this:
“Recalled to the team after that red card at Northampton. Made amends with two goals from set-pieces which nearly lifted the roof off Pride Park. Will have enjoyed that and [he] was excellent.”
Bradley could now be crucial
The Rams’ manager is no stranger to adapting his shape, and that is exactly what he did against Richie Wellens’ side as he opted to go with a 3-4-1-2 formation to accommodate Bradley in between regular centre-backs Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson.
With two promotions on his CV, one of which came as champion of the third tier with the Hatters, the towering defender has much-needed experience of what it takes to get over the line.
Automatic promotion is now there for the taking with Derby County able to secure a return to the Championship as early as this upcoming Saturday if results go their way. That said, it looks extremely likely that this one will go down to the final day.
Should Bradley perform at the same level for the Rams’ meetings with Cambridge United and Carlisle United, then Warne’s side could be well on their way to promotion.
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