Derby head coach Paul Warne revealed he is closing in on a deal for Dwight Gayle after his team beat Stevenage 1-0 to boost their automatic promotion hopes in League One.

Warne is hoping to sign the 34-year-old former Newcastle striker, with top scorer James Collins set to miss most of the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Derby had no recognised striker to call on and it showed as they struggled to create chances against a well-organised side.

They did not manage a shot at goal until the 68th minute and had to wait until the 90th for Louie Sibley’s winner.

Warne admits he is trying to bring in Gayle with Collins facing a lengthy spell out after damaging knee ligaments in the midweek win at Exeter.

The Derby boss said: “He’s going to be out for months. No one trains better than James and he’ll give himself the best chance to get back before the end of the season but we won’t see him at least before mid-April I wouldn’t have thought.

“So we are trying to get an out-of-contract striker in, I’ve got a list of two names and I’ve gone for my first one. We’ve done all the paperwork and the EFL are working with us to make it happen.

“It is Dwight Gayle, he’s a free agent, he’s got another couple of League One clubs chasing him and we are doing everything we can to get him in the building.”

Derby’s win, coupled with Bolton’s draw with lowly Charlton, moved the Rams three points clear in the battle for second.

On the game, Warne added: “I’m really proud of the lads, I knew it was going to be a roll-your-sleeves-up type of performance. To win games consistently takes real heart and the dressing room definitely have that.”

Stevenage’s winless run reached four matches as they slipped three points adrift of the top six.

Manager Steve Evans, who this week signed a new deal with the club, said: “It’s hard to take. I think a draw would have been the right result. There were very limited chances in both boxes.

“We should have had a clear penalty in the first half for handball and then the goal comes from Aaron Pressley losing his shape defensively. He’s an attacker but we have a plan. He switches off and two passes later it’s in the net.

“I thought we had a good shape, for long periods we were the better team, but if you switch off in the first minute or the last you concede.”