Wilson fired home the winner from 25 yards with 19 minutes remaining at the Keepmoat Stadium, a strike that should have been kept out by Rams keeper Stephen Bywater.

Robbie Savage looked to have put Nigel Clough's resurgent Rams on course for a fifth consecutive league win when he curled home a precise free-kick early in the second half, his first goal for the club.

But the lively Paul Heffernan restored parity six minutes later with a clinical header and Wilson struck the winner to ensure there was no happy homecoming for Rams midfielder Paul Green.

Green, who left Rovers to join Derby in the summer, was given a warm reception by the home supporters before the kick-off in recognition of nine years service for the South Yorkshire club, helping take them from non-League to the Football League's top tier.

Rams boss Clough was unable to call upon playmaker Kris Commons due to a calf injury, so Chris Porter partnered Rob Hulse in attack, while Gary Teale recovered from injury to take his place on the left wing.

Influential defender Matt Mills returned to the Rovers starting line-up after recovering from an ankle injury, while James Coppinger was passed fit after suffering from concussion in the defeat at Swansea last weekend.

Doncaster's defeat at the Liberty Stadium was their first in nine Championship games and they seemed eager to put that right from the off as Derby were forced onto the back foot.

Coppinger had the first opportunity to break the deadlock when he raced clear down the left channel before forcing Bywater to save at his near post.

Porter was presented with the Rams' first opportunity 13 minutes in after Hulse made a nuisance of himself in the box, but the former Motherwell striker fired over from 14 yards out.

Doncaster stroked the ball around with the confidence of a side challenging for promotion, but it was Derby who came close once again when Teale stung the palms of Neil Sullivan after 23 minutes.

Porter came close to opening his account when his measured header looked to be looping into the far corner of the net but rebounded off the bar.

But the visitors were in front four minutes into the second half courtesy of a moment of class which had been missing in the first period.

After Hulse was brought down on the edge of the area, Savage curled a free-kick over the wall and into the corner of the net, giving Sullivan no chance.

But Doncaster responded positively to going behind and drew level six minutes later.

Wilson was allowed too much time to line up a cross on the right flank and Derby paid the price as Heffernan rose to guide a header inside Bywater's left-hand post.

There were strong claims for a penalty after 62 minutes when Jay McEveley jumped strongly with Heffernan, but referee Russell Booth saw nothing untoward.

But Rovers were in front 19 minutes from time courtesy of a mistake from Bywater.

Derby failed to clear a corner from the left and Wilson found the bottom corner from 25 yards out with a right-foot strike that Bywater really should have got at least a hand to.

Bywater was back to his best nine minutes from time, producing a superb reflex save to deny Heffernan a second goal, but the damage had already been done.