IT WAS a day when a stray coffee cup embarrassed goalkeeper Barry Roche and helped to inflict a painful defeat on Nottingham Forest.

In a season where the Reds had failed to set the First Division alight and their fiercest rivals had also struggled, this clash had acquired far too much importance.

It was a missed opportunity for the Reds but the Rams would have been in serious trouble if Forest had left Pride Park with the points.

Perhaps that goes a long way to explain why Derby seemed like the team with more cohesion and, maybe, determination to ensure it was going to be their day.

Forest only got going for a brief period either side of half-time, and by then they were already three down.

Paul Peschisolido put in the pain-in-the-neck performance everyone expected and was the shining light on an afternoon which actually lived up to the billing local derbies always get.

But the Canadian striker did benefit from a surreal moment involving a discarded coffee cup. A back pass from Wes Morgan hit the cup just as Barry Roche prepared to clear.

He scooped the ball up in the air for Peschisolido to hook into an empty net. Forest were already a goal down after just four minutes thanks to Ian Taylor's effort and it went from bad to worse when Peschisolido went on to make it 3-0.

The fightback came when Gareth Taylor grabbed one back before the break and Gareth Williams gave Forest hope of a dramatic recovery in the second half. But their hopes were dashed when Marcus Tudgay fired home from the edge of the box with eight minutes remaining, taking a deflection off the on-loan Leon Osman.

It was a painful afternoon for Forest fans, given the circumstances of the second goal. But today they will be hoping for a change in fortunes – and a first victory at Pride Park.

Derby: Grant, Kenna, Johnson, Mawene, Jackson (Boertien, 45), Candido Costa (Holmes, 72), Taylor, Huddlestone, Osman, Tudgay, Peschisolido. Subs not used: Oakes, Labarthe Tome, Whelan.

Forest: Roche, Louis-Jean, Dawson, Morgan, Impey, Jess, Williams, Sonner, Reid, Taylor, Barmby (Johnson, 35). Subs not used: Formann, Thompson, Doig, Westcarr.

Attendance: 32,390