Barclays Premier League
Gareth Davis reports from Pride Park Stadium

A single first-half goal from Tuncay was enough to earn Middlesbrough all three points from Paul Jewell's first home game in charge of the Rams.

The Turkish striker finished with a sweet volley from Stewart Downing's cross as the visitors backed up their victory over Arsenal last week with another three vital points.

Almost immediately Kenny Miller struck a post for Derby, who showed no shortage of heart and had plenty of the ball, but they couldn't find an equaliser.

Mark Schwarzer was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers with saves from Matt Oakley, Giles Barnes and Jay McEveley but the Rams fell to a seventh straight defeat.

Tyrone Mears and Gary Teale - impressive as substitutes in last week's defeat at Manchester United - were restored to the starting line-up for the visit of Middlesbrough.

Mears was in ahead of Jay McEveley, among the substitutes with Andy Griffin over to left-back, while Teale took over from Craig Fagan - who didn't make the matchday 16 at all.

But the first opportunity of the game fell to Middlesbrough. Tuncay dropped deep and picked out Gary O'Neil with an excellent pass that left the former Portsmouth man in on goal, though well to the right, and Stephen Bywater parried his effort.

Derby threatened on 12 through Giles Barnes, who picked up the ball some 25 yards out and tried an ambitious low show that looked for a short while as though it was going to escape Mark Schwarzer's grasp on the line.

Matt Oakley almost had better fortune three minutes later with a left-footer from the edge of the box that Schwarzer dived low and grabbed following a spell of Derby pressure.

But neither side could seriously threaten the other's goal early doors in a game vital to both clubs' hopes of getting away from trouble at the bottom of the Premier League.

A George Boateng pass on 25 minutes that sailed yards behind O'Neil and out for a throw-in was symptomatic of the way the game had got underway.

And Derby were forced into a change two minutes later as Griffin hobbled off, his place taken by McEveley in a straight swap.

 It wasn't immediately obvious what had happened to Griffin but the Rams wasted no time in taking him out of the action.

McEveley was involved straight away with two teasing crosses from the left, the latter headed away by David Wheater with Teale looking ready to pounce from inside the six-yard box.

The Derby faithful were lifted just after the half-hour mark as their side enjoyed a good spell with the ball and twice threatened.

First, Oakley's cross found Stephen Pearson but Luke Young was across to block as the Scot took aim, and the ball then came out to McEveley who forced Schwarzer into a low near-post save from 25 yards.

But the opening goal arrived on 37 minutes - though at the wrong end of the ground from the Rams' point of view.

A long ball down the left from Wheater released Stewart Downing, and two touches later it was in the back of the net.

The England man didn't think twice and half-volleyed over a delicious cross that Tuncay reached first to fire an excellent left-footed volley from 14 yards.

Back came Derby however and from Mears''s cross, Kenny Miller turned on the edge of the box and his effort beat Schwarzer all end up but glanced off the outside of the post.

It all meant that the Rams would have to do something they hadn't done since September 29, score a goal at home, in order to get something from this game.

They had the ball in the Middlesbrough box a few times before the interval but couldn't quite find the time or space for a serious shot on goal.

Middlesbrough had the second period's early threat, particularly from a Fabio Rochemback corner that caused some concern inside the Derby box.

And on 53 minutes they were a fine save away from doubling their lead. Tuncay broke through the middle and laid the ball off to Downing, on the left, but his effort was expertly blocked by Bywater.

And there was a miracle escape seconds later as Rochemback crossed to the far post where Boateng dived in but somehow pushed his header on to the post when it looked easier to score.

That was the cue for Steve Howard's introduction for his 500th career league appearance, in place of Teale.

It was at a time when Derby were getting up a head of steam and forced a couple of corners but neither came to fruition.

Two more flag-kicks followed as the Rams kept up the pressure and they could even have been awarded a penalty shortly before the hour as Oakley's deep cross dropped on to the arm of Emanuel Pogatetz, but referee Rob Styles gave nothing.

Barnes, now on the right, was next to threaten with a storming run forward but Jonathan Woodgate got enough of a block on his 20-yard shot for it to cause Schwarzer no problems.

The teenager eyed another spectacular effort on 68 minutes but this time his left-footed shot was comfortably wide of Schwarzer's near post.

Derby's final change arrived on 73 minutes as Miller's afternoon came to an end and Robert Earnshaw took over alongside Howard.

Almost immediately the pair worked together but Schwarzer got there first as Earnshaw sniffed around on Howard's flick inside the penalty area.

Bywater dived low on 82 minutes to keep out Rochemback's long-range effort, though there was never any danger of the Derby goal being breached for a second time.

Such had been the Rams' time in the ascendancy that it was Middlesbrough's first serious effort since the early stages of the second half.

Indeed, they were straight back up the field with a classic route-one threat as Howard flicked on a long free-kick to Barnes, who drove powerfully into the arms of Schwarzer.

Middlesbrough had the ball in the back of the net on 88 minutes through Aliadiere, who finished well from a tight angle, but the whistle had already gone to pull him back for handball.

Derby piled men forward late in the day and fired lots of balls into the box but that equaliser wouldn't come.

DERBY: Bywater, Leacock, Oakley (C), Miller (Earnshaw 73), Teale (Howard 55), Griffin (McEveley 27), Davis, Moore, Mears, Pearson, Barnes.

SUBS: Price (GK), Lewis.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Schwarzer, Young, O'Neil, Pogatetz, Boateng (C), Woodgate, Rochemback, Aliadiere, Tuncay, Downing (Johnson 88), Wheater.

SUBS: Turnbull (GK), Huth, Dong, Cattermole.

ATTENDANCE: 32,676 (2,084 visiting fans).