Two second half goals saw Derby County end their six-game wait for a win in the Sky Bet Championship as they recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Cardiff City.

Closely fought in the first half, Tom Ince got the ball rolling 10 minutes after the interval with a low shot, before Nick Blackman scored his first competitive Rams goal from the penalty spot after Matthew Connolly had been given his marching orders for hauling him down.

It represented Derby’s second league win of the 2016/17 campaign as they lifted themselves out of the relegation zone ahead of this weekend’s trip to high-flying Reading.

The second half, particularly, was very encouraging from a Rams perspective as they grew in stature and confidence with every passing minute at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Before that, they had to, unsurprisingly, show their battling qualities in a tight opening half against Paul Trollope’s side, who had also experienced a tough start to the 2016/17 season.

The first 10 minutes of this contest in the Welsh Capital was tentative and edgy as both outfits sought to feel the way into the contest and there was only one chance of note during this period, a long range drive from Rickie Lambert that Scott Carson could only, awkwardly, parry away with two strong hands, before the Rams hacked the loose ball clear.

It proved to be the last involvement of the former England international forward, who had sustained an injury in the very early stages of the contest. It was certainly a blow for the hosts too after his two goals helped the Bluebirds to a crucial 2-1 win over Rotherham United at the weekend.

Undeterred, Cardiff continued to pluck away as they sought the opening goal.

Bradley Johnson, one of three changes to the starting XI, got himself in the way of a Peter Whittingham volley, but at the other end, Derby crafted their own chances.

Will Hughes saw a shot blocked by Craig Noone after being picked out, cleverly, by Cyrus Christie on the edge of the box, whilst Ince and Matěj Vydra both forced Ben Amos into saves in quick succession.

Over the course of the first half very little separated the two sides and the half time score reflected that, but with 10 minutes remaining, it took a fine instinctive save from Carson to deny Sean Morrison, the Cardiff captain, to ensure that was the case.

The second half was different, however, as Derby returned for the second half on the front foot and created a couple of openings before they eventually took the lead.

It was a case of third time lucky for Ince in Wales. The wideman was denied twice by Amos in the early stages – the second particularly a standout effort as Ince bent a shot towards the far corner, but he was thwarted by the former Manchester United goalkeeper.

He was not to be denied shortly after, though, as he scored his first goal of the season by, firstly, gathering a pass from Hughes to deceive his nearest marker and create space, before finishing a low effort beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.

Trollope’s side came close to notching an instant equaliser, but Morrison, again causing problems in the area, saw his looping header drop just wide of Carson’s far post, whilst Stuart O’Keefe, two minutes later, directed a free kick wide of goal too.

A battle ensued as Derby dealt with the intermittent Cardiff threats as they sought a way back into the contest, but with 10 minutes remaining, the visitors scored a crucial second goal to wrap up all the points in the Welsh Capital.

Introduced as a substitute, Blackman was on the scoresheet four minutes later as Jacob Butterfield fed a delightful pass to him in the penalty area. He had the beating of Connolly and after he was hauled down by Cardiff’s last defender, it left Geoff Eltringham no choice but to award the Rams a spot kick.

Blackman assumed responsibility and dispatched it easily to score his first competitive goal for Derby and with it, put the icing on the cake on what is a big win for the Rams as they ended six-game winless run in the league.

Cardiff City: Amos, Morrison (C), Richards, Whittingham, Ralls (Harris, 59), Immers (Manga, 85), Noone, John, Connolly, Lambert (Zohore, 13), O’Keefe

Substitutes not used: Wilson, Kennedy, Huws, Ajayi

Derby County: Carson, Christie, Keogh (C), Pearce, Lowe; Johnson, Butterfield, Hughes; Ince (Russell, 84), Anya (Weimann, 90), Vydra (Blackman, 76)

Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Bent, Baird, Wilson