IN FOCUS: DERBY COUNTY

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Ahead of our return to the Sky Bet Championship, learn more about all 23 of our opponents

2024-07-01T08:00:00.000Z

IN FOCUS: DERBY COUNTY

Ahead of our return to the Sky Bet Championship, learn more about all 23 of our opponents

2024-07-01T08:00:00.000Z

Ahead of our return to the Sky Bet Championship, learn more about all 23 of our opponents

Derby County Football Club was originally founded as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 1884.

The Rams were one of the Football League’s 12 founder clubs in 1888 and played their first league match against Bolton Wanderers, winning 6-3.

Originally playing their games at the County Ground, Derby were forced to play at the Baseball Ground for the first time in their history on 18 March 1892 because of a clash with a race meeting.

The ground would later become their permanent home until the summer of 1997, when their current home Pride Park was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen.

Derby are two-time winners of England’s top division (1971/72 & 1974/75) and won the FA Cup in 1946.

Additionally, the Rams have won Division 2 four times and have spent just six seasons outside of the top two leagues in their storied history.

Unfortunately for everybody connected to the club, Derby hold the record for the fewest points ever recorded in a Premier League season – managing just 11 in 2007/08.

They then spent 14 straight seasons in the Championship and current manager Paul Warne took charge in 2022, a month into their first season in League One since 2003-04.

After guiding Derby to a 7th place finish in 2022/23, Warne and Co had a successful season last time around with their 92 points enough to earn 2nd spot and automatic promotion.

Stadium: Pride Park (33,597) – Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8XL

Nickname(s): The Rams

Manager: Paul Warne

2023/24 finishing position: 2nd in Sky Bet League One (promoted automatically)

2023/24 top scorer (all competitions): James Collins (19)

Played for both:

Jeff Hendrick – Born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Hendrick moved to England to sign for Derby County’s Academy. Coincidentally, his senior debut came as a late substitute in a 4-2 defeat to Burnley in April 2011 at Pride Park. A central midfielder by trade, Hendrick spent six seasons at senior level with the Rams and featured in just short of 200 league matches, scoring 22 goals in the process. Then came a move to Lancashire in 2016 on an initial three-year contract. His first goal for the Clarets, a 25-yard volley against AFC Bournemouth, earned that season’s Goal of the Season award and the midfielder totalled nine goals in 122 league appearances, in addition to featuring in our Europa League campaign. The midfielder has had a storied international career with the Republic, too, earning 79 senior caps to date.

Matej Vydra - Czech Republic international Vydra’s first foray in English football came on loan at Watford from Udinese in 2013. After another temporary switch to West Bromwich Albion he returned to Vicarage Road, initially on loan before it became permanent. Having established himself as a proven Championship goal scorer he joined Derby in 2016 and fired 26 goals in 73 league appearances. That form earned him a move to Burnley in summer 2018 and the striker scored on his Europa League and Premier League debuts for the Clarets, with his first Premier League goal coming in a 4-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth in September. Vydra would eventually leave upon the expiry of his two-year contract and return home to play for Viktoria Plzen, where he remains to this day.

Lee Grant – Grant began his professional career with Derby between 2000 and 2007. The goalkeeper spent two months on loan with Burnley in the 2005/06 season, keeping a clean sheet in his one and only appearance against Leicester City. He eventually returned to Lancashire in 2010, spending three years at Turf Moor and winning the Fans’ Player of the Year award for 2012/13. Then came a return to Derbyshire where he remained for three campaigns before moving to Stoke City and later Manchester United as his playing career came to an end. Since retirement the 41-year-old has gone into coaching and currently works in the first-team set up at Premier League side Ipswich Town.