City 0 Derby 0: City were held to their fourth successive home draw by a Derby side who had two players sent off in the second half of an otherwise dour afternoon.

Robert Lee and Adam Murray were both red-carded by Premiership referee Neale Barry but City could find no way through as they maintained their unbeaten home form with a sixth stalemate of the season.

Paul Evans and Mark Bower were back from suspension as City made two changes from the side which hung on for a point against Preston.

Evans had been training with Wales since Wednesday and was due to travel back to Cardiff straight after the game to continue preparations for Wednesday's Euro 2004 qualifier against Italy.

He came into the centre of midfield for Claus Jorgensen who yesterday underwent exploratory knee surgery.

Bower replaced Lewis Emanuel who dropped to the bench as he continued his comeback from a knee injury.

Straight away City pushed forward as Ashley Ward shrugged aside Danny Higginbotham to feed Michael Proctor but Ian Evatt cleared. From the throw-in, Gus Uhlenbeek pushed up and sliced a shot wide.

City began in a 3-5-2 formation, mirroring the visitors, with Uhlenbeek and Wayne Jacobs operating as wing-backs in front of a back three of Andy Myers, Bower and Robert Molenaar.

Derby striker Izale McLeod got away with an outrageous handball as he controlled with an outstretched right arm but City controlled most of the early play, although Andy Gray fluffed a half-chance.

City won a corner in the seventh minute and Evans' kick found its way back to the Welshman via Molenaar. He delivered to the far post where Bower attempted a volley but missed.

Proctor caught Robert Lee in possession inside the Derby box but Chris Riggott quickly bailed out his skipper.

Proctor had a weaving run through two tackles at the other end but Riggott whipped the ball off his toes as he ran diagonally across goal. City's leading scorer got in a snap-shot after 16 minutes gathered low by Mart Poom.

Proctor was lively again and his deflected shot earned City another corner two minutes later. Warnock took it this time and Bower met his curler with a header wide.

Derby had hardly worried City's three-man rearguard but Molenaar was wrong-footed by Adam Bolder to give McLeod an opening which he wasted.

The highly-rated striker was involved in their best move after 25 minutes. Started by McLeod, Christie's step-over allowed the ball to run through to Adam Murray bursting to the edge of the box. He met it well enough but Banks saved low to his left.

Murray scuffed a long-range try wide as Derby started to pick up the pace. But it was still featureless stuff, summed up by the near silence of the crowd. Banks enjoyed some more gentle catching practice to take an Evatt header from Lee's free-kick. Gray tried to lift the tempo in a three-man move involving Uhlenbeek and Ward but the momentum was stopped by an offside flag.

Christie was coming more into it and earned Derby's first corner after 33 minutes off Jacobs. Molenaar claimed it commandingly and when it fell to Lee, he over-hit a pass which rolled out of play by the corner flag. It was that kind of match.

Molenaar had to be careful as he lunged in on McLeod to nick the ball away for another Derby corner. Bower headed Murray's kick straight up in the air and then back to the Derby midfielder who drilled it wide from an impossible angle.

But the fans were left scratching their heads as City failed to take the lead seven minutes before the break. Evans began a swift counter-attack, taking a whack on the way to releasing Proctor who powered away from Higginbotham. He cut in from the right of the box before squaring to Ward who seemed certain to score against another of his former sides.

But he didn't get a proper connection and the grounded Poom was able to palm the ball into the air and then catch the rebound on his own line.

Ward used his power to muscle the ball off Higginbotham by the touchline as City tried again. It allowed Gray room to cross but the ball flew over the far side of the b ox.

His next cross was far better after being sent away by Evans but Riggott flicked it away from the advancing Ward with the back of his right heel.

HT: 0-0

Juanjo got a big cheer as he came on for the second half in place of Molenaar. The Spaniard, who has played only 19 minutes of league football this season, slotted into the right wing-back role with Uhlenbeek dropping in behind him.

Lee was booked within a minute of the re-start for a foul on Warnock. It was Lee's fifth yellow card and means a one-match ban.

Higginbotham and Proctor collided and both physios raced on. The Derby defender came off slightly worse but both players were soon fit to continue.

Lee got away on the left and picked out Murray tearing into the box at full pace but the youngster's glancing header was poor.

Proctor brought the home fans to life with another dart at the Derby defence and Juanjo, again wearing the red boots he unveiled at Portsmouth a fortnight ago, got his first couple of touches.

The public address system operator clearly anticipated something was about to happen as a brief snatch of the Blur goal celebration tune belted out. But there was still no sign of an end to the stalemate.

The rain briefly returned as Christie gave away possession to Ward in midfield. The City striker fed Evans cutting in on the right and his skidding shot was grabbed at the second attempt by Poom at his near post.

Ward tangled with three opponents to win City's third corner which Derby got out with difficulty. City kept men forward and won back possession just outside the penalty area where Juanjo had a shot charged down before Gray fired narrowly over.

There was a half-shout for a push on Ward as he went up for a header but City had their foot on the pedal as the visitors started to look ragged.

Bower nodded away a Derby free-kick to give the away side their third corner midway through the second half. But it soared across the crowded goalmouth and straight out again.

Paul Boertien had to show quick footwork to negotiate the seats as his momentum carried him into the bottom row of the Midland Road stand. Juanjo took the throw-in quickly in his absence and found Gray whose cross was tipped over the bar by Poom.

Derby were down to ten men after 72 minutes when Lee tripped Warnock as the youngster charged towards the Derby goal. Despite fierce protests from his team-mates, Lee was called over by the referee and shown his second yellow and then the red card.

City had the man advantage now but McLeod set off on a determined run which Bower slid in to end at the expense of another corner.

The Derby fans turned their frustration on the referee as play stopped when Hunt took a knock right in front of them. Nicky Law used the delay to replace Jacobs with Emanuel. The onus was on City but a corner again came to nothing. Tempers threatened to boil over when Warnock clashed with Murray right in front of the dug-outs.

Law pulled Warnock away as the pair squared up and the City man was booked. Boertien was next into the book as the heat continued to rise.

Ward held the ball up well to give Gray room to have another go but his effort was off target.

City were getting closer and a Ward flick-on from Juanjo's corner was whacked out of the Derby six-yard box before the Spaniard whizzed an effort across goal. Derby won a corner in added time but were content to time-waste by the touchline.

Murray clattered into Bower on the halfway line and the Derby midfielder stayed down as he appeared to be caught. Both sides milled around menacingly before Murray became the second Derby player to be sent off.