Barclays Premier League
Gareth Davis reports from Pride Park Stadium

Kenny Miller was handed his Derby County debut and responded in the best possible fashion with a superb only goal of the game to give the Rams their first win of the season.

Miller struck with a top-class dipping half-volley on 37 minutes that sent Pride Park's biggest crowd for five years into raptures.

There was no doubting Derby deserved their win and could easily have racked up a wider margin with Steve Howard coming close on numerous occasions.

But when called upon the Rams defended stoutly to earn their first clean sheet of the season too - a fact that will give them just as much cheer as the victory.

Steve Howard who carried the early threat. The big number nine, playing against the club he supports for the first time, saw a snap-shot deflected away for a corner within a minute.

And from the resulting flag-kick Howard rose highest inside the area but headed over the bar.

In a lively opening few minutes the visitors' first effort came from a curling Charles N'Zogbia free-kick that Stephen Bywater gathered comfortably.

Tyrone Mears was the next to threaten with a booming run forward that ended with him shooting straight at Steve Harper as space opened up on the edge of the box.

Gary Teale's 17th-minute corner caused the visitors some concern until Harper grabbed the ball and sparked a move that should have seen Newcastle take the lead.

James Milner broke and fed Michael Owen, who rounded Bywater but was forced wide.

The in-form England man steadied himself and whipped the ball back for David Rozenhal, who had sped forward to join the attack, but the centre-half smashed his shot wide from close-range with the goal gaping.

Michael Owen slips the ball away from Stephen Bywater. Picture by EMPICS Sport

Miller embarked on a mazy run with 27 on the clock and made good ground into the box but wanted too much time to get the ball on to his left foot and was closed out by Claudio Cacapa.

Bywater produced a spectacular diving save ten minutes later to turn away visiting skipper Geremi's curling free-kick from just outside the box.

And just seconds later the Rams went in front, in equally spectacular style.

Bywater banged the ball up long and Howard got a touch to slow it down before Miller spotted Harper off his line from fully 30 yards and lifted his shot superbly into the top-corner.

The Rams help Kenny Miller celebrate his spectacular strike. Picture by EMPICS Sport

Shola Ameobi drove wide from the edge of the box four minutes before the interval but half-time arrived with Derby holding the 45-minute advantage for the first time this season.

Howard was close to a second just two minutes after the break with another glancing header, this time from an Eddie Lewis corner, but his effort was narrowly wide of the far post.

One other item of note - before Alan Smith became the night's first booking - was the attendance, a superb 33,016.

It was Pride Park's highest and the first to top 33,000 since, bizarrely, the exact same figure saw the 2002/03 season-opener at home to Reading.

Newcastle responded by introducing Obafemi Martins for, surprisingly, Owen, just ten minutes into the second half.

The number ten hadn't been his usual buzzing self but if you're behind in an away game and looking for someone to nick a goal out of nothing, Owen is normally your man.

He headed straight down the tunnel however, suggesting a possible knock that required treatment.

Matt Oakley came forward and drove over on 59 but that was the spark for Abdoulaye Faye to replace Geremi in the centre of midfield, with Smith taking over the captain's armband.

Andy Griffin, against one of his former clubs, then moved inside from the left and hit a 25-yard shot that looked goalbound until it was deflected past the post by Cacapa's thigh, though referee Peter Walton awarded a goal-kick.

Howard was next to threaten and he really should have opened his Premier League account on 66 minutes.

Teale did well to create space down the right and whip over a ball that looked perfect for the dyed-in-the-wool Geordie to nod home but unfortunately he put his header just past Harper's left-hand post.

Nicky Butt saw yellow on 72 for a wild lunge on Stephen Pearson, who was about to break clear on one of his lung-busting runs down the left after Griffin's superb through-ball.

From Lewis's free-kick Howard headed over, though the flag had already gone up for offside.

There was a 75th-minute caution for Mears, who tugged Martins down just outside the box, but of more concern was a free-kick in a dangerous position a few yards to the left of centre.

Up stepped James Milner but the winger's effort was deflected over for a corner by the Derby wall.

Milner himself took the corner and curled it towards the far post where Bywater dived backwards to push it away.

Derby's first change came on 79 minutes as one debutant replaced another.

Benny Feilhaber got his first taste of English football as a replacement for Miller, who left the Pride Park turf to a deserved standing ovation after an outstanding start to life in Derby County colours.

Teale to Howard was becoming the order of the evening and once again Derby's reigning player of the year should have netted with a header from his Scottish colleague's right-wing cross, but once again his radar was out.

Oakley saw yellow with six minutes remaining after a challenge on Faye out on the left wing, but Derby - as they had done all night - defended Milner's delivery solidly.

Lewis received a good reception as he trotted off with four minutes to go, replaced by Jay McEveley.

McEveley's first action was to fire a right-wing free-kick into the six-yard box, forcing Harper to punch clear with Howard waiting to pounce.

Griffin broke into the box after Feilhaber's smart pass but couldn't finish as four minutes of stoppage-time went up.

Pride Park's biggest attendance in over five years seemed to hold its breath for the entire four minutes - and when the whistle finally blew there was one almighty roar.

DERBY: Bywater, Mears, Leacock, Davis, Griffin, Teale, Oakley (C), Pearson, Lewis (McEveley 86), Howard, Miller (Feilhaber 79).

SUBS: Jones, Earnshaw, Todd.

NEWCASTLE: Harper, Rozenhal, Cacapa, Owen (Martins 55), N'Zogbia, Milner, Smith, Geremi (C) (Faye 59), Butt, Ameobi, Taylor (Beye 74).

SUBS: Given (GK), Pattison.

ATTENDANCE: 33,016 (3,054 visiting fans).