Few people have tipped Derby County for big things this season, yet George Burley is convinced his side can be the dark horses of the Coca-Cola Championship in the wake of this impressive victory.

Supporters of Derby have suffered too much heartache in recent seasons to become overly optimistic after just one win, but the way in which Burley is beginning to stamp his authority on the team suggests there are genuine grounds for hope.

The headlines were made by two foreign imports on this occasion, following a couple of well-taken goals from Marco Reich and a first strike for the club from Spanish midfielder Inigo Idiakez.

Reich, the German midfielder, finally repaid the faith Burley has shown in him since his arrival from Werder Bremen last season on a free transfer. He scored after 35 minutes with a well-placed header before adding the winner 25 minutes from time.

While Reich and Idiakez added the finishing touches to a polished performance from the home side, the foundations were laid by less glamorous but equally important contributions from a number of home-grown talents.

Tom Huddlestone, Lee Camp and Nathan Doyle all belied their teenage years with promising displays, most notably Doyle, who recovered well after presenting goals to Tommy Miller and Dean Bowditch in two minutes and handing Ipswich the initiative before half-time.

Burley said: "I never thought about taking Nathan off. He had two mad minutes but he showed great courage because a lot of youngsters would have folded after that."

Ipswich's Joe Royle said: "We got what we deserved - nothing. We were second best in every department and it just wasn't good enough."

Ian Edwards (Daily Telegraph)