LEWIS Guy repaid manager's Sean O'Driscoll's faith in him by securing Doncaster Rovers a winning start to life in the Championship at Pride Park.
Said O'Driscoll: "Ever since we've been here, we've banged on about what a good player he could be.
"People told us that he couldn't finish and he couldn't do this that or the other.
"But we see him in training every day and he's been excellent. He is only a young kid and if he can get his head together he's got a bright future."
Guy beat the offside trap and got on the end of James O'Connor's ball and slotted it past Derby keeper Roy Carroll on 59 minutes.
Guy wasn't even born the last time that Rovers scored a goal in the second tier of English football, for you have to go back to the 1957-58 season for that.
Having waited 50 years to score a goal at this level, Rovers could have scored again just three minutes later - and again it was that man, Guy.
Richie Wellens and James Hayter set up the chance but Guy hit the ball straight at Carroll, who made a comfortable save.
No side can ever afford to relax when only one goal ahead with over 25 minutes to play, but in truth Rovers' lead was rarely challenged.
They retained possession well, giving Derby the runaround at times, and worked hard to close the Rams down whenever they had the ball.
Despite having splashed the cash following their relegation from the Premiership, Derby lacked a cutting edge in attack and it is going to take time for Rob Hulse and Nathan Ellington to strike up an effective partnership up front.
They didn't really work together and it was left to substitute Steve Davies - he went close with a couple of headers - to pose the main threat in front of goal.
Whereas Derby boss Paul Jewell has virtually rebuilt the team which finished at the bottom of the Premiership last season with just 11 points and gave a starting debut to seven new players, O'Driscoll fielded a tried and trusted combination.
Centre-back Matt Mills, who played in more than 40 games last season for Rovers whilet on loan from Manchester City, was the only 'newcomer' to start.
Mills formed a solid defensive partnership with the ever-improving Sam Hird in a back four also well served by full-backs O'Connor and Gareth Roberts.
Those people who felt that the first game of the season was as good a time as any to catch the Rams were shown to be right.
The new-look home side will clearly need time to gell, and played like 11 individuals for long periods of the game.
Not so Rovers.
They simply carried on from where they left off last season, despite the departure of striker Mark McCammon and Paul Green
By a quirk of fate, Green's first league game for the Rams was against his former club and he will have wanted to have made more of an impact than he did.
There were no surging runs down the right which was his trademark in the second half of last season when he was often Rovers best player.
It was left to former Nottingham Forest favourite Kris Commons to provide the threat in midfield.
He twice had long-range efforts on target in the first half, the second of which was well saved by keeper Neil Sullivan on his return to the Championship.
Apart from when Hulse hit the near-post from close range after getting a foot to defender Tyrone Mears' cross from the right, and when he shot over from ten yards out just before the interval, Derby had little to offer in attack in the first half.
Any fears that Rovers may be overawed by the occasion were quickly dispelled, and on another day they could have been awarded a third-minute penalty after Guy had gone down in the box.
Veteran striker Gareth Taylor made the most of an early chance to impress in the absence of Paul Heffernan, Jason Price and Darren Byfield. He just cleared the bar with a 14th-minute header and shot narrowly wide five minutes later following some excellent build-up play. He then had keeper Carroll at full stretch with a goalbound header from a 37th-minute free-kick.
"Gareth showed his experience," said O'Driscoll. "He gave us that bit of balance so that we can play the ball long if we have to."
By seeing his side get off to winning start to life in the Championship, O'Driscoll left Jewell still looking to celebrate a first league win since taking over last December.
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