WANDERERS slumped into the bottom three of the Championship after an abject home defeat to Derby County.

Ex-Bury striker David Nugent did the damage with two goals in the opening 21 minutes – and the Rams could have had more as they dominated the first half.

The Whites had been water-tight at Birmingham in midweek but looked a different team as they failed to conjure a single noteworthy opportunity until second-half injury time, when Gary Madine pounced for his second goal of the season.

For the most part, Derby had Tom Huddlestone pulling the strings in midfield and attacked with purpose, opening the scoring on eight minutes when Matej Vydra cut a cross back on the left for Nugent to side-foot home from close range.

Johnny Russell then turned tormentor on the right, beating two challenges before clipping a cross back for Nugent to double the lead.

Both goals had been eminently preventable. And had the Rams shown more ruthlessness in front of goal, it could have been a real embarrassment for Phil Parkinson’s men.

With the home crowd audibly unhappy, Vydra went clean through on Mark Howard’s goal only to hit the side-netting, then volleyed Andre Wisdom’s cross just over the bar.

Parkinson brought Adam Le Fondre on for Adam Armstrong at half time but Derby coasted home in the second half without much drama.

Mark Beevers looked a relieved man when he brought Russell down on the edge of the box and only received a yellow card from referee Stephen Martin. Bradley Johnson’s free kick could only find the wall.

Wanderers might have had a penalty when Madine dropped to the floor under a challenge from Curtis Davies. A route into the game at that stage might have given the Whites a sniff of a point, but despite testing Gary Rowett’s side with a succession of late corners and free kicks there was never any danger of the visitors losing their lead.

Something eventually fell for Madine a minute into added time – raising brief hopes of an unlikely comeback. It was, in truth, more than Wanderers deserved.