Phew, what a scorcher!

At the end of this hugely entertaining stalemate, it was hard to know whether to be disappointed Town failed to collect all three points or relieved they denied determined Derby victory.

Steve McClaren’s Rams are desperate to make the Championship play-offs – and it showed.

They deserve credit for their persistence and clinical finishing.

But then so do Town for the way they set about their visitors, who scarcely deserved to go in front through a Tom Ince sizzler, then found themselves 3-1 down at the break after a blistering home onslaught which brought three goals in 10 minutes, through Oscar Gobern, Mark Hudson and Reece James, who scored direct from a corner.

Strangely, a match which brought eight goals in all probably hinged on a miss.

Had Nahki Wells’ 48th-minute shot gone in rather than hit keeper Lee Grant in the face and gone for a corner, Chris Powell’s side would have had a three-goal cushion and Derby would have been distinctly deflated.

Instead they pulled one back through substitute Simon Dawkins (injuries meant McClaren had to make two changes before the break), and with the pendulum swinging their way, levelled through Jesse Lingard just after the hour.

Town weren’t about to play for a point, however, and top-scorer Nahki Wells, having already had an effort disallowed, put his side back in front with his 14th goal of the season, a deflected shot after great work by Sean Scannell and Ishmael Miller.

What a shame a defensive slip, Tommy Smith playing a loose pass, should give Derby the chance to equalise again, Darren Bent’s deft ball setting up Ince, who scampered forward and, like Lingard, finished with confidence from the edge of the area.

It’s now five without defeat

The loan presence of ex-England international Bent from Aston Villa and the highly-rated Ince from Hull City shows just how much some clubs are prepared to push the boat out in their push for the Premier League, and how hard it is for those on a budget like Town’s to compete.

But Powell’s side have certainly done that since the March international break, and to be fair, for a number of games during the seven-match winless run before it.

It’s now five without defeat, and the boss will be eager to make it seven with games at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and Blackpool on May 2 remaining.

And Gobern and Miller, who both made further starts as part of an unchanged XI, will be keen to further boost their claims for new contracts at the John Smith’s Stadium.

It was Gobern’s first appearance on the scoresheet since the 6-0 League I win at Wycombe Wanderers in January 2012, when Jordan Rhodes netted five.

And the former Southampton midfielder took it well, controlling Conor Coady’s pass on his chest before shooting home.

Meanwhile striker Miller, who featured after passing a fitness test on a back niggle, again proved he can be a real handful as well as offering something different to Vaughan and Nahki Wells.

It was great to see on-loan Manchester United left-back James claim his first senior goal. And Hudson’s effort, headed home from a James corner, rewarded a string of fine displays by the skipper.