Football: CHRISTIE'S PRIZE LOT

MALCOLM CHRISTIE'S two goals in two minutes sealed it for Derby - and earned him high praise from Rams' skipper Warren Barton.

Christie's stunning strikes came after he had been denied time and again by Stoke keeper Neil Cutler.

And even when the 23-year-old managed to beat Cutler, he was twice denied by the woodwork.

But then came his deadly double, which was set up by a couple of Derby's international brigade.

Branko Strupar was strong enough to hold off Sergei Shtaniuk and his nod-down set up Christie to give Cutler no chance from close range.

Minutes later, a superb pass from Derby's forgotten man, Georgi Kinkladze found Christie in sufficient space for him to clinically place the ball past the advancing Cutler.

Little wonder that Barton waxed lyrical about the one-time non- league player who is now in his fifth season and who is attracting attention from a host of Premiership clubs.

Barton said: "He's a very confident lad. He's always up there and he's starting to find some consistency.

"There's no reason why he can't go on and score 20 goals a season like Ravanelli."

Derby keeper Mart Poom saw no action until he kept out a James O'Connor effort on 27 minutes.

MAN OF THE MATCH MALCOLM CHRISTIE

Goals were just reward.

DERBY: Poom 7, Barton 7, Riggott 6, Higginbotham 7, Jackson 6, Murray 6 (Kinkladze 7), Lee 7, Bolder 6, Boertien 7, Strupar 7, CHRISTIE 9 (Evatt 6).

STOKE: Cutler 8, Thomas 7, Handyside 7, Shtaniuk 6, Clarke 6, Commons 6 (Gudjonsson 6), O'Connor 7, Gunnarsson 6, Henry 7, Cooke 6, Goodfellow 7.

MANAGER RATINGS: Gregory 8; Cotterill 6.

REFEREE: S Mathieson 7.

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