If Saturday's performance had the nervous, and possibly the managers, peering apprehensively from behind the couch, this was full on 'When Frankenstein met Dracula'.

Apart from the result and some much needed game time, the most significant outcome from a cold and gloomy night could well be the emergence of new signing Donal McDermott, who only joined the club on the afternoon of the match.

The time of goodwill to all men apparently hasn't reached East Anglia, for the Rams' furthest visit ever turned out to be a battle of attrition, with events off the pitch transposing themselves on to it.

The realistic assessment of this game, harsh but fair, is that the result flattered an insipid Rams performance,  A touch more precision from the home team would have seen them at least double their goal tally and the Rams goal, special as it was, literally came from nowhere.  All that was needed to turn a poor show into a horror show would have been the appearance from the subs bench of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing!

After 27 days without action, the Rams finally managed to get out on the pitch, in what is looking like a fortunate hole in the bad weather, to start the second half of their season.  The repercussions of the enforced lay-off, in terms of chronic fixture congestion are still to be felt but it has provided a clear and decisive break with the past, and may well be a foundation stone for the future.

Stockport County full deserved this win and their passage into the last 32 of the FA Trophy.

What is to be made of this confounding and, to no little extent, concerning result?

The Rams came into this New Years Day fixture with half their league fixtures still to play and knowing that it they are able to double their points total to date, they will be close to the play-off positions.  Unfortunately, the form that has presented them with such a promising start to the Premier Division is proving elusive at the moment and the hope that the turn of the year would present a change to December's misfortunes was misplaced.

The virtue of participation in this particular competition has been the subject of justifiable debate and with league fixtures beginning to pile up, exit from it could well be the silver lining in the cloud of defeat.