West Brom 1-2 Derby: Darren Bent and Tom Ince seal second-half comeback with two goals in three minutes to cancel out Matt Phillips opener

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Whatever has gone right or wrong in Steve McClaren’s coaching career, it seems Derby is the one club where everything comes up smelling of roses.

He’s been there as player, coach, and now manager twice. Since going back in October for his second spell in charge, the magic dust has been sparkling. He had already put a struggling side back into the race for the Championship play-offs. Now he’s handed the club’s jubilant fans their first Cup win over a side from a higher division in 30 years.

Some 5,400 were bouncing around the Smethwick Road end as two goals in three minutes from Darren Bent and Tom Ince stunned in-form Albion, who had led through a first-half Matt Phillips strike.

Darren Bent scored from 25-yards out with a thunderous effort to draw Derby County level with West Brom in the second-half

Tom Ince then scored just three minutes later with what would eventually prove to be the winning goal for the Rams

Derby County players embrace after Ince fired in a free-kick from a difficult angle to give them the lead over West Brom

West Brom's Matt Phillips (right) celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game with team-mate James McClean

‘It was an heroic performance,’ said McClaren, who had seven players missing through injury and two through bans.

‘By the end everybody was going down with cramp — even me running up and down the stairs from the directors’ box to give instructions! To come here and win you have to fight and show character and you have to stand up, and the team did that.

‘We scored great goals, but the way the team fought to hold on, especially in the last 20 minutes, was heroic.

‘I have never seen so many balls going into our box but we talk about defending with our lives and the players did that.’

McClaren’s heroes included midfielder Julian de Sart, playing two days after arriving on loan from Middlesbrough, and defender Jason Shackell, who had not started for four months.

But if anything typified the way McClaren has made a difference it was the display of Ince — and not only for the curling free-kick that brought the winner. Now 24, the son of former England captain Paul has found consistency to go with his talent and has eight goals in 15 games since McClaren took over. ‘I don’t know why he’s improved so much,’ said McClaren. ‘I don’t tell him anything we don’t tell the other players.

‘We just allow him to go and play and he does the work as well, up and down. He should be a Premier League player. He’s had opportunities, but you’ve seen the fight today that he wants to get back there.’

Just as impressive was the performance of ex-England striker Bent. Normally renowned for tap-ins, he scored the equaliser with a stunning 25-yard shot.

It was tough on Albion boss Tony Pulis, who picked the strongest team he could. The only senior player he rested was goalkeeper Ben Foster and that was the change that came back to bite him.

Derby's Richard Keogh clears the ball off the line to spare Scott Carson's blushes after the goalkeeper made a mistake

Phillips continued his good form for West Brom after directing the ball past Carson from 20-yards out in the 35th minute

Derby goalkeeper Carson dives in vain as Phillips curls a shot from 20-yards to give West Brom the lead at the Hawthorns

Bent then scored from a very similar position, this time with a thunderous effort, to beat West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill

Boaz Myhill moved slowly for Bent’s strike and not at all for Ince’s winner.

‘I’ve not seen them from behind the goal, so I don’t really know — I’m more worried about the build-up,’ said Pulis. ‘Boaz has done fantastically for us whenever he has played. I can’t criticise the team because we showed fantastic attitude — 30 shots and 60 crosses, so you can’t ask for a lot more.’

The only chance Albion converted came when Phillips finished calmly on 35 minutes, picking up a loose ball after James McClean had charged down Richard Keogh’s attempted clearance.

Pulis is trying to persuade his board to up their bid for Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, and if anything should convince them to trust him with their cash it is the performance of Phillips.

Ince fires a free-kick at goal, which flies in to give Derby the lead just three minutes after Bent's equalising effort

Ince runs over the celebrate with the travelling Derby fans after giving his side the lead in the 54th minute of the match

West Brom striker Salomon Rondon (centre) takes on Derby County's Jason Shackell and Julien de Sart

McClean (pictured alongside Derby's Jamie Hanson) started for West Brom after signing a new contract with the club

Goalkeeper Carson makes a save as Derby cling on to a narrow lead late on in the second half

He cost just £5.5m from QPR and has five goals and seven assists in his last 11 games.

There should have been more yesterday but James Morrison missed a great chance from one pass and Gareth McAuley headed over following one of his corners.

Albion put Derby under siege in the last few minutes, but the nearest they got to a replay was when Scott Carson tipped over a Salomon Rondon header.

West Brom goalkeeper Myhill fails to cover himself in glory as the ball slips out of his hands as he attempts to claim a cross

Steve McClaren looks on from the bench as his side seal their first win over a higher division team in the FA Cup for 30 years

Derby brought 5,400 fans with them to the Hawthorns and they made sure they were heard when the final whistle blew

A worried West Brom fan attempts to spur his team on with his home made version of the famous FA Cup trophy

Another fan, this time a grown-up, went much further to create what appears to be an FA Cup out of some household tin foil