IF Wanderers didn’t have an FA Cup hangover, they sure as hell finished Saturday with a king-sized headache.

Neil Lennon doesn’t do half-measures, and when he is upset with a team’s performance he has a tendency to let you know about it.

His post-match appraisal at Derby was seethed rather than spoken. And that is exactly why Whites fans have taken so quickly to the Northern Irishman.

While Rams boss Steve McClaren reasoned Wanderers were not at their best because of their gargantuan FA Cup effort against Liverpool in midweek, Lennon was making no such excuses.

The Wanderers boss had taken his side out for bacon butties and a brew on Thursday to try and shake off the cobwebs, suffice it to say they won’t be getting and TLC this time around.

“You can’t use the cup as an excuse,” he snarled. “There was a hangover at the Rotherham game, I understood that, but this time they had an extra day to prepare.

“The more experienced players have got to take more responsibility than they did and some of the younger ones were poor today. I can’t keep going with them if they play like that every week.”

Part of Lennon’s problem is that after all the good work so far in shaping what he inherited from Dougie Freedman, he is now starting effectively from scratch.

The mass influx of players in the January window, which if you include the prior signings of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Emile Heskey totals eight, equals three quarters of a new team.

Integrating all those factors won’t be easy, especially as injuries are now biting hard.

Matt Mills could miss a fortnight with a knee injury while David Wheater and Liam Trotter were both brought off at the break on Saturday and are big doubts for the home clash with Fulham tomorrow night.

In the second half we saw debutant Barry Bannan wearing the captain’s armband and both Simeon Slavchev and Filip Twardzik sampling their first taste of football at Bolton chasing a game at 2-0 down. Not an ideal situation, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Just as we hoped positive momentum could see the team gatecrash the play-offs in May, it also works the opposite way, and the Whites currently stand just seven points off the bottom three.

Most alarming is the quick deterioration of the defensive line, which has now conceded 10 goals in the last three league games. Shorn of Mills, and the suspended Neil Danns, Wanderers coped well for 37 minutes but disintegrated once Tom Ince had curled home a stunning free kick.

In the manager’s own words, “getting up for Liverpool is easy” but the regular bump and grind of the Championship is where the wages are earned – and very few walked off the pitch at Derby having done an honest day’s work.

The opening half hour was tense. Wanderers had clearly come to contain and looked towards set pieces as their chief source of chances.

Wheater had one decent header saved by Lee Camp, who was also quick off his line to grab the ball at Liam Feeney’s feet on the one time Zach Clough managed to puncture the Derby defences with a pass.

For the main part the Whites were penned back, almost like a training exercise as the Rams probed from one side of the pitch to the other, but they were holding firm.

Liam Trotter had been tasked with shackling the home favourite Will Hughes, choosing the more robust approach. After one poor challenge he finally made it into referee Tony Harrington’s book, compounding his error moments later by bringing down Oscar Mascarell on the edge of the box.

Ince, a deadline day loan signing from Hull City, stepped up and curled a brilliant free kick into the top corner.

A few asked whether Andy Lonergan could have done better – but the benefit of the doubt went with the former Blackpool winger, whose day would get better still.

Could Wanderers come up with a plan B?

Less than seven minutes later it didn’t matter. Hughes popped up on the edge of the box again and played a pass through Josh Vela’s legs to Jeff Hendrick, who steadied himself before doubling Derby’s advantage.

Twardzik and Slavchev came on at the break – the former heading home a consolation little more than 10 minutes after his arrival.

But by that time Derby had already made it three. Vela had been caught on the ball and Henrick and Hughes combined to set up Ince for his second.

The home side smelled blood and Lonergan made a smart stop to deny Jamie Ward. When Hendrick pounced on a far-post header from Richard Keogh to make it four with 22 minutes left to play, you genuinely feared what might be in store for Wanderers.

Home subs Simon Dawkins, Darren Bent and Craig Bryson all had pot-shots late on but McClaren’s side had declared on four long before the final whistle sounded.

Wanderers’ players lingered on the pitch and walked sheepishly towards the 600 or so away fans to acknowledge their support. To be fair, I wouldn’t want to rush back to the dressing room knowing what awaited me.

Lennon vented some anger at referee Harrington for a late professional foul by Jake Buxton on Adam Le Fondre which, had it happened earlier in the game would have been a sending off. But he reserved the majority of his annoyance for his post-match interviews.

Perhaps only Barry Bannan deserved to escape the manager’s ire of those who started the game, his first outing in a Wanderers shirt compact enough to suggest he will be a good signing. Twardzik and Slavchev can only be judged in fairer circumstances.

Lennon will demand a response against Fulham tomorrow night. Woe betide anyone who lets him down.