McClaren hails Rams star after cup win

Delighted Derby County boss Steve McClaren hailed Simon Dawkins after his team’s 5-2 victory at Fulham.

Dawkins scored twice in the Rams’ Capital One Cup fourth-round win at Craven Cottage, where they stormed back from two down.

He put them ahead with a thumping strike after cutting in from the left and later cheekily flicked the ball in at the near post.

McClaren said: “I love him. As a player that’s what he can do. He was positive in the second half and he got his rewards.

“He gives us good balance on that left-hand side as he’s got a good understanding wth Craig Forsyth, Craig Bryson and Chris Martin. When he’s fit he’s a hell of a player.”

Fulham looked to be heading for the quarter-finals after Moussa Dembele’s first senior goals.

But Martin pulled a goal back with a penalty in the final seconds of the first half and Derby were excellent after the break.

McClaren, who said he thought Fulham caretaker boss Kit Symons should be given the manager’s job, admitted: “The importance of the goal just before half-time can’t be overstated. It gave us a lifeline.”

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