The Sky Blues travelled to Pride Park looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship following the draw against league leaders Norwich City on Saturday.
The hosts brought an end to their four-game losing streak at the weekend, despite an 81st minute equaliser for Wycombe.
Mark Robins can welcome loanee Sam McCallum back into the starting line-up after being ineligible to line up against his parent club at the weekend, whereas interim Rams manager Wayne Rooney carries no fresh injury concerns into the clash.
The home side got the game underway, under the lights at Pride Park as they looked to lift themselves off the foot of the table.
It took until the tenth minute for either side to fashion a chance. It came the way of the Sky Blues and it was a golden opportunity to take the lead.
The ball was moved out to the left to Ryan Giles who had time to whip a low ball across the face of the Derby County box.
The delivery eluded everyone including Callum O’Hare who misjudged the flight of the ball and couldn’t knock it into an empty net at the back post.
The game then fell quiet following two stoppages as Lee Buchanan required treatment for the hosts, and then Sam McCallum for the Sky Blues with both players being able to carry on.
City, though, continued to create promising opportunities as a superbly weighted ball from Fankaty Dabo all the way down the line gave Callum O’Hare space in behind to get a cross into the box.
The cross failed to meet its target but did find Gustavo Hamer 35-yards from goal following a Derby clearance. The Brazilian picked up the ball and took aim, and despite his effort arrowing to the top corner, the save from David Marshall looked simple enough.
The hosts managed to fashion their clearest chance of the night on the half-hour mark as Colin Kazim-Richards cleverly flicked back a through ball behind Kyle McFadzean to create a yard of space for himself on the corner of the City six-yard box.
The striker, though, snatched at the chance and watched his effort skew well wide of Ben Wilson’s left-hand post.
Minutes later and Derby were counting their lucky stars after conceding neither a goal nor at the very least a penalty following a collision between O’Hare and Marshall.
Matthew Clarke clipped a ball back to his goalkeeper which allowed O’Hare to nip in and beat the ‘keeper to the ball. The City attacker could only knock it to his left and ultimately out of play, looking for Tyler Walker who was in space yards from goal.
However, Marshall charged out and collided with the oncoming O’Hare who was calling for a penalty, but referee Dean Whitestone waved away the appeals, and the scoreline remained goalless.
With only minutes left in the first half, the hosts spurned a great chance to head into the break in the lead through Max Bird.
A ball was played across the box and fell to Bird via a deflection. The midfielder struck the ball goalward first time calling Wilson into action to make an instinctive save to his left from 12 yards.
On the stroke of half-time, the Sky Blues did have the ball in the back of the net as Walker guided Hamer’s lofted set-piece over Marshall and into the top corner. However, the City striker was judged to be offside and the goal was scrubbed off.
HALF-TIME: Derby County 0 – 0 Sky Blues
As the hour mark was approaching, the home side were the unfortunate team this time as referee Whitestone waved away their appeals for a penalty.
Tom Lawrence was played through on goal from a well-placed through ball from Krystian Bielik on the edge of the City box, and was brought down by Kyle McFadzean who was doing the best he can to put the Welshman off.
The centre-back was fortunate to escape without caution.
Minutes later, Colin Kazim-Richards rose highest from a right-sided cross at the back post but could only guide his header over Wilson’s bar.
City replied with a headed chance of their own as Dabo whipped in a wicked delivery which O’Hare met low with his head. The City number 11 could only guide his header wide of Marshall’s left-hand post from a chance that should at least test the ‘keeper.
Derby were in the ascendancy in the tie and were finding joy down City’s left through an overload of Nathan Byrne and Holmes.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, the home side threatened Wilson’s goal once again with a strike from Lawrence from the edge of City’s box. His dipping effort, though, flew straight into the palms of Wilson and this turned out to be the Welshman’s last involvement of the evening.
The perseverance of the home side eventually paid off as Byrne swung in a left-footed cross to the back post which was met by Kazim-Richards. Derby’s number 13 rose highest to head down into the City net.
The home side had a chance to double their lead heading into added time as neat work by Kazim-Richards on the byline saw the ball played back to Jack Stretton who stabbed his effort goalward and watched it ricochet off the crossbar and out of play.
City though, did not give up.
A cross from the right saw the ball balloon up to Hamer on the edge of the Derby box who watched the ball like a hawk.
The Brazilian let the ball drop and smashed it first time, low to Marshall’s left to draw the scores level with only four minutes remaining on the clock.
This turned out to be the last piece of action of the game as Hamer extended both City’s unbeaten, and Derby's win-less runs.
FULL-TIME: Derby County 1 – 1 Sky Blues
Goals: Kazim-Richards 83’ Hamer 90+1’
Yellows: Kazim-Richards, Holmes, Bielik, O’Hare
Sky Blues XI: Ben Wilson (GK), Fankaty Dabo, Kyle McFadzean, Dom Hyam, Sam McCallum (Leo Ostigard 85’), Liam Kelly (C), Gustavo Hamer, Jordan Shipley (Wesley Jobello 77’), Ryan Giles, Callum O’Hare (Amadou Bakayoko 89’) , Tyler Walker (Max Biamou 77’)
Unused Subs: Lee Camp (GK), Michael Rose, Jamie Allen, Ben Sheaf, Will Bapaga
Derby County XI: David Marshall (GK) (C), Andre Wisdom, Krystian Bielik, Max Bird, Tom Lawrence Kamil Jozwiak 80’), Nathan Byrne (Curtis Davies 90’), Colin Kazim-Richards, Matthew Clarke, Duane Holmes (Jack Stretton 80’), Lee Buchanan, Jason Knight
Unused Subs: Kelle Roos (GK), Craig Forsyth, Graeme Shinnie, Louie Sibley, Morgan Whittaker, Jahmal Hector-Ingram