On 5 February 2011, Cywka was openly criticised by Derby boss Nigel Clough after his losing of the ball late in the game led to a late equaliser in a 1–1 draw at Portsmouth. Of Cywka, Clough said "He's an extremely inexperienced and not very bright footballer ... he can go back to Wigan or wherever he came from – I'm not really bothered – until he learns the game." These incidents led PFA Chief Gordon Taylor to criticise Clough, saying "It cannot be appropriate to criticise your team in such a way in public. We'll sort things out ... otherwise it looks an untenable situation.". Despite the criticisms after the Portsmouth game Cywka made a further six appearances for the Rams before being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee ligament injury.