In the fourth minute, Leroy Lita poked the ball to Adam Johnson and he managed to round the keeper, who was miles away from goal. However, this forced Johnson wide and he had to try and pick the pass rather than shoot himself. He found O'Neil who checked in and had a shot. It was on target but blocked by Dean Moxey for a Boro corner. Nothing came from this.
On five O'Neil darted down the right hand side and teed the ball up to Aliadiere. The Frenchman forced the save out of Derby keeper Stephen Bywater when he really should have scored.
The Rams' injury problems increased in the tenth minute, with Kris Commons being forced out of the game. Paul Dickov came on. This reduced their number of substitutes to five as they could only name six on the bench due to the severity of their crocked crisis.
In the eleventh minute, the ball came in from the left hand side through James McEverley and Dickov almost scored from his first touch. Initially, he performed a cheeky dummy to allow the ball to flow to former Boro target Rob Hulse. Hulse squared the ball back to Dickov but his shot was Dick-ov target...
Before the game, County had had 10 players out with injury and in the eighteenth minute, the tally reached 12. McEverley challenged Justin Hoyte to the ball and the Boro player's boot struck the Rams' midfielder's cheekbone. This forced a trip to James Cook and Lee Croft came on.
A good cross from Hoyte saw Bywater caught in two minds but the visitors managed to clear the ball with difficulty.
Things got from bad to worse for the visitors after Adam Johnson was fouled in the County box by Shaun Barker. The referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty and the winger made no mistake to notch his first home goal - and his seventh goal - of the season by powering the ball past Bywater.
MIDDLESBROUGH 1 (Johnson (pen), 21) DERBY COUNTY 0
Derby tried to strike back quickly but Paul Dickov's cross met the sturdy gloves of Brad Jones between the Boro sticks.
The Boro had the bit between their teeth and orchestrated an excellent break when Wheater launched the ball from deep towards Lita. He darted into the box but Dean Leacock spared his side's blushes by denying the frontman with a block.
Thirty seconds later, Lita had another shot but the offside flag denied him.
On twenty-seven, Johnson won a corner and chipped the ball into the rectangle (it's hardly a box, it's two-dimensional - which is one more dimension than Boro's play was on Saturday). Rob Hulse managed the clearance.
In the twenty-ninth minute, Aliadiere had an effort that went wide of the left-hand post.
Derby were very disorganised and looked like a side that was patched up due to excessive injury. In fact, they had more patches than a patchwork doll who had just started to give up smoking.
Boro knew that their goal difference was inferior to that of the three promotion rivals above them and the feeling was that tonight was an opportunity to ratchet up a cricket score.
The game was a little bit lifeless though as it approached the final stages of the half. The Boro were having the better of the half-opportunities whilst Derby weren't really doing anything at all.
On thirty-five, Johnson had an effort that drfited harmlessly wide of the target. Three minutes later, O'Neil had a long-range effort that was blocked by Jake Livermore.
This was the last action of a half that limped towards its conclusion. Derby were there for the taking but the fear was that by being only one goal to the good, and with the threat of Hulse and Dickov, Boro's poor home form could continue.
