ROVERS had drawn four of their seven Championship fixtures prior to the Pride Park trip. They left with a fifth to their name, but having been frustrated by the majority of the previous quartet, this point was one they will look back on as one gained.

They had to battle hard, protecting their goal with countless blocks, while goalkeeper David Raya made several key saves as, for the opening hour at least, Derby laid siege to the visiting goal.

But by hook or by crook, Rovers returned to East Lancashire with another point to their name ahead of Saturday’s visit to Stoke City.

The Rovers team saw three changes, with three of their more experienced players missing out. Charlie Mulgrew was ill, Elliott Bennett absent with a slight knock, while Danny Graham dropped to the bench.

Derrick Williams made his first start since the opening day, while Craig Conway was handed a rare start and the captain’s armband, with Kasey Palmer also recalled.

It was a team which struggled to contain a fluid Derby side who, while taking risks playing out from the break, were managing to escape the Rovers press.

That was how their first two chances came about, with Florian Jozefzoon heading over a Mason Bennett cross, before Mason Mount fired over from the edge of the box unchallenged.

Adam Armstrong was ploughing a lone furrow for Rovers and the ball was not sticking up front.

Armstrong's eyes turned to the referee when he went down in the box under a 15th minute challenge from Richard Keogh, but nothing was given.

The Rovers goal came under considerable threat for the five minutes either side of the half hour mark.

First, Mount saw a shot deflected over and from the resulting corner, Fikayo Tomori saw an acrobatic overhead kick blocked by Corry Evans on the line, before Darragh Lenihan got to the loose ball before Keogh.

Jayden Bogle, exploiting the space behind Palmer, burst forward from right-back to take the ball in to the box from Bennett’s pass, only to be denied at point-blank range by Raya.

Rovers survived a mass scramble from the resulting corner, as Mount saw another shot deflected wide, while Raya saved well from a well-hit Omar Bogle drive.

Sensing the danger, Mowbray made an early move, sending on Graham for Conway, who looked forlorn when replaced.

That seemed to stem the tide of Derby attacks and Rovers reached half time with the score at 0-0 thanks to Raya, who moved quickly to his right to tip a curling Bennett effort round the post.

The interval brought 15 minutes of respite for Rovers, but Derby were soon hunting them down in the second half.

Williams and Palmer were both carded with five minutes of the re-start before Mount curled a free-kick up and over the Rovers wall from 25 yards, only to see it come back off the bar.

Bennett was sent on and Rovers finally threatened the Derby goal. A Lenihan ball was headed down by Graham in to the path of Dack but, after fighting off Keogh, he could only find the side netting.

Better play on the hour mark allowed Evans to break forward but his shot from the right edge of the box was too close to Scott Carson.

But it was the Rovers goal which continued to live a charmed life, as only a Richie Smallwood clearance on the line denied Bradley Johnson a goal after Jozefzoon had beaten Raya in the air.

At the other end Graham tested Carson’s handling with a daisy-cutter 20 minutes from time but it continued to be hard graft out of possession for Mowbray’s men.

Referee Darren England waved away cries of a penalty when Nyambe went shoulder to shoulder with substitute Harry Wilson in the Rovers box.

By this point Derby’s multi-million pound strikeforce of Martyn Waghorn and Jack Marriott had been sent for from the bench as Rovers tried to hold their resolute defensive structure.

Johnson and Mount both dragged efforts wide of the target in the final quarter but Rovers were beginning to restrict attempts at Raya’s goal.

And they came close to stealing a winner in the 87th minute when Bennett saw a piledriver flash past the post as it ended honours even.