STOCKPORT fully deserved this win and their passage into the last 32 of the FA Trophy.

However, if there is any element of fairness about their assessment of the game, they may look towards the help they got from the Yorkshire based referee.

Whatever trepidations the visitors might have had of facing a difficult afternoon at the Riverside were eased if not removed after only three minutes.

The referee awarded a controversial penalty, spotting a handball to a drive from outside the box. Scott Spencer put it away with the minimum of fuss.

There was an unusual sense of resigned acceptance if not expectation at going behind from the Rams. Nonetheless they responded well and for the next 20 minutes or so they pressed forward and had their chances to equalise. Phil Dean might have done better from around the penalty spot but his somewhat hesitant shot was diverted over the bar for a corner and twice Danny Hurst in the Stockport goal had to plunge low to his right to palm away shots bound for the bottom corner. On each occasion the Rams were unable to get to the rebound first.

Stockport, though, were dangerous on the break and looked threatening from numerous free kicks lavished upon them. That was the case on 25 minutes when the ball fell obligingly to the feet of Danny Gregson, who lashed the ball past a helpless Grant Shenton. For the remainder of the half the Rams became increasingly frustrated by the referee’s decision-making, not least the denial of an obvious penalty for handball and then the penalisation of Grant Spencer for falling on the ball with his hand when tripped from behind. It was no wonder that the referee’s reappearance after the break was received with loud catcalls from the home support.

With a strong well-drilled back four, Stockport clearly considered that they had the game in the bag and for the remainder of the match were content to sit back and soak up the pressure.

For long periods the Rams were camped in their half without ever really looking like opening up the visitors, except for a diagonal ball into Jordan Hume which presented him with a yard of space and a good shooting opportunity. However his shot just lacked the power to evade a scrambling goalkeeper.

At the other end only a series of brave blocks by Steve Howson denied Stockport as the Rams pressed forward. There was a persistent feeling that if the Rams could grab a goal the final stages might prove interesting but any hopes of a comeback were extinguished with 10 minutes left when Grant Shenton neither stuck nor twisted in dealing with a cross and left Jordan Lazenby with the easiest of headers.

It is to be hoped that with a challenging set of fixtures ahead and two cup losses in a week that this is not the start pf a winter of discontent for the Rams.