Has Phil Brown been ‘bowled over’ by Adam Bolder’s recent performances? If so, he faces a selection poser, with Seth Johnson champing at the bit to return after suspension.
‘Seth was irreplaceable a couple of weeks ago but Adam came in against Norwich and gave a great account of himself.
‘He provided an awful lot of energy to the team – not that Seth doesn’t – but Adam has staked his claim to keep one of our better players out.
‘Paul (Thirlwell) also played very well in the Norwich game and Inigo (Idiakez) gave a man-of-the-match performance.
‘Seth is probably looking at the situation and thinking ‘how am I going to get back in?’ That is exactly the sort of competition I am after.
‘Morten Bisgaard had a good 70 minutes in the behind-closed-doors game against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday and Lee Holmes played a full game.
‘Everybody seems to be pushing for places and it’s a great problem to have.
‘Now it is down to me to pick the right team to face Preston.’
Derby have been playing 4-5-1, with Idiakez dictating the play. Bolder, Thirlwell and Johnson are battling for two central midfield positions.
Wolves were after him in the summer and though he’s not been an inspirational as last season, he’s still a class act.
Callum Davidson – doubtful (hamstring)
Patrick Agyemang – out (hamstring)
Chris Lucketti – out (suspended)
He’s got 5 goals this season and Everton are hoping to buy him for about £2m.
Preston have won 42 of the league encounters between the two clubs, whereas Derby have only triumphed 34 times. Last year this fixture didn’t generate any goals.
Cardiff (a) 17/12/05