When Jacob Widell Zetterström dived down to his left to push away Mohamed Toure’s poor penalty after eight minutes, Derby should have woken up.   The opening stages had been nervy, sloppy even. The Rams’ number one had already had to dash out of his goal twice, first to beat Liam Gibbs to a loose ball, and then to clear Sondre Langås’ weak backwards header.   Making his first start in nearly three months as Dion Sanderson was given a night off playing through the pain barrier

Travelling 70 yards in eight seconds, Jaydon Banel executed Derby’s only successful dribble of the first half.   It was more than a dribble.   Released by Sam Szmodics on the edge of his own box following an Oxford throw, the Dutchman motored majestically from coast to coast, cutting inside two defenders and drilling the ball through Myles Peart-Harris’ legs and into the bottom-left corner.   It surely got the approval of his compatriot Robin van Der Laan and his former Rams

Southampton already know they’re off to Wembley, but Derby’s hopes of playing under the famous arch this season now hang by a thread.   John Eustace has been keen to keep things in perspective, talking about the progress of his side – recently with a view to next season. But after defeat at St Mary’s, his frustration was palpable.   “It’s too easy from the free kick, organisation [was] not good enough and we’ve got to improve on that,” he told BBC Radio Derby . Eustace was of

The flock are ¡Olé!-ing in the Easter sunshine. In cruise control, Derby are taunting Stoke as they look to see out a fifth-straight win at Pride Park for the first time since October 2019.   And then the goal that Carlton Morris had so deserved. At last, an 11 th  of the season, nearly four months since he previously found the net .   Unlike his goal in Staffordshire , this was not just a neat bit of individual quality, but a sublime team move. Starting with Morris flicking

“We’re really excited, we’re playing against the best team in the league. We’ve got nothing to lose.” John Eustace told Sky Sports in his pre-match interview.   And despite the absence of Sam Szmodics and Rhian Brewster, who will miss the rest of the season following knee surgery, adding to an already lengthy injury list, his side played like it. While this encounter may not quite have lived up to the 5-3 at Pride Park back in August , it was still utterly enthralling, with m

Spring is in the air, and there’s a spring in Derby’s step too.   That’s now four straight Championship home wins for the first time since February 2021 for Derby, and the 1-0 victory over Birmingham City seemed sweeter than most for John Eustace.   At Thursday’s Fan’s Forum  he revealed a liking for Oasis songs. While the former Blues boss won’t look back in anger , he did find time to take subtle swipe at the Birmingham owners. Knighthead cited their desire for a ‘no fear’

Nobody enjoyed watching that. Portsmouth fans tearing their hair out. Derby fans biting their nails from behind the sofa, or a padded seat in the directors’ box as it was for the suspended John Eustace. Perhaps it was predictable that a game some fans billed as a battle of Rams skippers past and present would be ugly and marred by bookings. Neither Ebou Adams nor Lewis Travis are known for their playmaking prowess. Adams' second-minute shove on his armband-sporting successor

Sometimes the written word alone is not enough to adequately express frustration. Take the ‘enraged face’ emoji which accompanied the Derby County tweet when Patrick Agyemang’s 94 th -minute effort struck the post.   The ball just would not go in.   It should have been the perfect crescendo to the final 25 minutes, where Eustace had thrown players forward to great effect. The Rams fashioning three other golden chances.   First, Agyemang’s great strength to hold off Tristan Cr

"When I see Matt Clarke on the left wing, I have a bloody heart attack!” John Eustace joked to me in his post-match press conference.   But potential palpitations aside, Eustace was clearly delighted as his side got their third straight home win in a game full of heart. The Rams also broke a second hoodoo in as many weeks by winning a game with the majority of the ball (55 per cent possession) to move within three points of the top six. South American football expert Tim Vick

Whether it was the tussle between Adam Forshaw and Sam Szmodics, or when Rams captain Lewis Travis “let himself down” with what John Eustace called a “ridiculous” yellow card, their reacquaintance with Blackburn was inevitably fiery.   For Ben Brereton Díaz, Dion Sanderson, Sam Szmodics and chiefly former Rovers skipper Travis, it was akin to welcoming your dysfunctional, now-disowned family to your new abode. Even with some their favourite sons back in their corner, the same

It may have been Craig Forsyth’s 37 th  birthday, but it wasn’t just Mr. Derby County who received gifts on Tuesday.   The Scottish stalwart marked his big day in style when he finished from six-yards-out to cancel out the Amir Hadžiahmetović corner which Callum Elder turned into his own net. And while referee Adam Herczeg neglected to give Forsyth a birthday card, he was the beneficiary of some lacklustre officiating – his strike should really have been flagged as offside.  

As the full-time whistle sounded at Vicarage Road, John Eustace clearly felt the need for some brutal honesty.   “We let ourselves down,” he told RamsTV , “We were too slow with the ball. Physically, we got beat up.”   This is about as harsh as we’ve heard John Eustace in his 50 games in charge, who even rejected opportunities to give a more upbeat slant. On BBC Radio Derby , he instead reaffirmed his view that Derby “weren’t competitive enough” over the 90 minutes.   So, in

Derby County Head Coach John Eustace marked a year at the helm with a Valentine's Day victory over Swansea City which had all the hallmarks of the side he has developed. With defensive resilience, swift transitions, and deadly dead balls, this was a fitting way to mark a year which has seen him transform The Rams' fortunes.

When Lewis Travis unceremoniously headed the ball into his own net after eight minutes, you got the feeling it would be one of those days for Derby.   When The Rams skipper was given his marching orders in a fiery period of second half stoppage time, that feeling proved correct.   After the euphoric high of the 5-0 win at Bristol City, this unfortunate afternoon brought the Pride Park faithful back down to Earth. The play-off chase is on, but home form remains the barrier.  

If Sky Sports’ chosen camera angle hadn’t already given you vertigo, checking the Championship table will.   Derby County are up to sixth in the second tier after blowing away Bristol City.   First to play this weekend, it may well be short-lived. For now, though, The Rams lead a chasing pack that is more congested than Bristol’s roads: City’s Sinclair Armstrong and Neto Borges both missed the start of the warm-ups due to the gridlock.   But there was no such problem on the p

While West Brom will now happily take their travel sickness tablets, no amount of sugar will sweeten the sour end to Derby’s otherwise excellent week.   The Rams were given a taste of their own medicine when Chris Mepham swung a boot to bundle the ball over the line at the back post. Be it Joe Ward’s stunning late free kick in the Carabao Cup  or Andi Weimann’s 100 th -anniversary-spoiler , Derby have subjected The Baggies to multiple sucker-punches already this season. You c

Despite his quiet, mild-mannered persona, one of the things that is coming to define John Eustace’s near year at Pride Park is a decisive transfer policy.   After thirteen departures in the summer, this week it was the turn of the last two players of the season, Curtis Nelson and Ebou Adams. Two players Derby likely would not be in the Championship without.   Ruthless Eustace is certainly getting the chance to shape this Rams squad in his image, albeit it has been a process d

Given the decades of history between the two teams, it is a little ironic that the latest battle between Derby County and Leeds United was defined by two short periods.   When Jacob Widell Zetterström gave away, and then saved a penalty from Joel Piroe, any concerns surrounding the atmosphere in a relatively sparsely populated Pride Park disappeared.   There was only one way to stop the “We all hate Leeds!” chants that had begun after The Rams’ Swedish stopper had dived to hi

Match report and analysis following Derby County's 2-1 defeat at Leicester City in the EFL Championship. Plus the 4-4-2 and the potential arrival of Oscar Fraulo.

Report and analysis from Derby County's 1-1 Boxing Day draw at Birmingham City in the EFL Championship.