Birmingham City player ratings vs Derby: Taylor and Hogan strike but Blues frustrated

Birmingham City were denied a first away victory in three months on a day of protest at Derby County.

A debut goal from loanee Lyle Taylor - against parent club Nottingham Forest's bitter rivals - and Scott Hogan's tenth of the season gave Blues the 2-0 lead their enterprising first hour deserved.

However, Derby fought as though their lives depended on it and pulled an 88th minute goal back through Luke Plange.

Then, with the last kick of the game, in his first match for a year, former Blues loan man Krystian Bielik produced a stunning overhead kick to equalise.

Lee Bowyer handed debuts to both of his midweek signings, with Taylor and Juninho Bacuna both starting.

It was Taylor who made his mark first - caressing home the first goal after just seven minutes.

Ryan Woods lifted the ball over the top for Onel Hernandez, who squared for Taylor on the left of the area and the 31-year-old stroked his shot past Ryan Allsopp.

He might have had his second on the quarter hour when Kristian Pedersen lifted a deep cross beyond the back post where Taylor was unmarked,

Unfortunately his side-foot volley bounced into the ground and was pushed away by Allsopp.

Blues should have made it 2-0 just before the break when Hernandez squeezed the ball through to Scott Hogan who was clean through.

But faced with only the Rams’ goalkeeper to beat he shot straight at him.

The hosts were not without their chances

Plange forced a near post save from Neil Etheridge in the second minute, Max Bird drove wide from the edge of the box in the 18th and the Blues ‘keeper produced a superb reaction stop in the 34th.

Tom Lawrence sent over an inswinging free kick was touched goalwards by Richard Stearman and beaten away by Etheridge.

However, Blues