Nottingham Forest 2-1 Derby: Lewis Grabban and Brennan Johnson dent Wayne Rooney's great escape bid as Forest beat East Midlands rivals

• Forest beat Derby 2-1 to take East Midlands derby and pile misery on their rivals
• Lewis Grabban and Brennan Johnson scored for the hosts at the City Ground
• Tom Lawrence's late penalty wasn't enough to rescue a point for Derby 
• Win moved Forest up to eighth in the table, two points outside the playoffs spots 
• Derby remain second from bottom and are eight points adrift of safety  

Nothing quite beats derby day. It’s the first match fans look for when the fixtures are released — the tackles are harder, the chants are louder, the stakes are higher.

Well, if this is to be the last between these sides then the clubs certainly bowed out fighting.

Goals from Lewis Grabban and Brennan Johnson earned Forest the victory. There was pushing and shoving after Tom Lawrence pulled a late goal back for Derby — and a full-on brawl on the final whistle involving nearly all the players. 

Not that anyone would have expected any different in a fixture where there has never been any love lost. The concern, of course, especially for Derby fans, is that it is a match that might not get played again.

Derby are on the brink of extinction. If they do not find a buyer to pay off their debts in the next couple of weeks they may die.

Forest won this bad-tempered battle and with it boosted their promotion hopes but, to Wayne Rooney, it was a side story in a war for Derby’s very survival.

Rooney went into no details but did say he was ‘confident’ of a late takeover. When asked if he goes to bed praying for a successful bid, he added: ‘I don’t go to bed. The next few days are massive. We need someone in, we need funding, whatever it is to help this club exist. If that’s not the case, by the end of the month you know what happens. My players deserve someone to come in. They deserve a chance to develop.’

Five of the Rams’ starting XI were academy graduates, three more on the bench. They have dreamed of playing for this club.

Fans will lose a lifelong passion and many will lose their livelihoods — from former England captain Rooney through to the cleaners, tea ladies and office staff. And what better way to showcase the great memories — delirium to heartbreak — than the Brian Clough Trophy, the small piece of silverware that these teams fight for?

After four straight 1-1 draws in this fixture, Cloughie’s cup will remain in Forest’s trophy cabinet. For now? For ever? 

Will it ever head back down Brian Clough Way to Pride Park, to go with their two First Division titles and an FA Cup? Not just any club — this is an institution of English football. It was a very one-sided game of football. Grabban opened the scoring at the beginning of the second half with a poacher’s finish and Johnson added another.

In a lighter mood, Forest boss Steve Cooper said: ‘I’m on top of the world, we were really good and we were worthy winners.’

Lawrence, who had collided with Forest keeper Brice Samba in the first half, pulled one back from the penalty spot, sparking a melee of players as he sought to get the ball from the net. 

By now tempers were running high and players clashed again when Derby sub Ravel Morrison was sent off for a nasty tackle on Philip Zinckernagel.

The Rams fans, defiant to the end, sang: ‘We’re Derby County, we’ll fight to the end.’

So they will. This 90-minute battle was lost but the war to save a 138-year-old pillar of English football is still on.