Derby boss Paul Jewell dedicated his side's Carling Cup quarter-final victory to the club's fans after the last-ditch 1-0 win at Stoke.

Jewell was manager when Derby were relegated from the Barclays Premier League after winning only one match all season.

Jewell said: "Our fans were humiliated last year by what happened, they at least have something to feel good about after this."

Nathan Ellington kept his nerve to tap home an injury-time penalty after Andy Griffin had been penalised by referee Rob Styles for handball.

Jewell said: "People may have expected Nathan to blast a penalty in the last minute of a cup tie.

"But that is the way he takes penalties. One of these days he is going to miss one like that and I will give him a rollocking, but that is how he does it. He waits for the keeper to move and rolls it in.

"He has done it that way ever since I have known him, right from when he was with me at Wigan.

"Credit to him, he showed great confidence and strength of character.

"I was confident he would score, that he would not be scared to take it, but it was great to see it go in."

The result means Derby have reached a semi-final of a major cup competition for the first time since 1968, also in the league cup.

Jewell added: "We couldn't have left it much later, it was virtually the last kick of the game.

"It was a great victory for us. Stoke is a tough place to come to, as Arsenal, Tottenham and Aston Villa have all found out recently."

Stoke boss Tony Pulis was critical of referee Rob Styles' penalty decision after he ruled out a Richard Cresswell goal for Stoke for handball.

Pulis said: "The referee was only a few yards from that and the ball hit Richard in the stomach.

"Then he gives a penalty looking through a crowd of about 20 players, with the linesman not making a move."