How’s that for a response? After the depths of Saturday’s dismal defeat to Swansea and fears of regression if new faces did not arrive Tuesday brought a glorious fightback. John Eustace’s “true warriors” secured a 2-0 win over Portsmouth. Nobody at Fratton Park embodied that spirit more than Lars-Jørgen Salvesen. He scored within three minutes of coming off the bench, just hours after rejecting a loan move and opting to fight for his place. Eustace told BBC Radio Derby:

Derby County got their first point of the season yesterday, with goals from Carlton Morris and Bobby Clark helping them to a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City. While The Rams now have something to build on, much improvement is still needed. In that spirit, here are five things we learned from the match.

For 15 excellent minutes, Derby were in complete control. Joe Ward was delivering dangerous crosses aplenty in acres down the right as Charlton struggled to keep the ball for more than a few seconds. Even when the next action was fluffed or deliveries were cleared, Derby simply recycled, dominating duels on the edge of the box. In that time, a lovely bit of link-up between The Rams’ front two as Sam Szmodics found Carlton Morris, who took a delightfully deft touch to return

John Eustace told Rams TV on Saturday that bringing Sam Szmodics back to Derby County was “not rocket science.” His goal though, was a spectacular lift-off to his second spell at Pride Park. After a dismally dreary first 45 in front of a crowd of just over 11,000, it could have been the launchpad from which The Rams fought back. From which they showed Lincoln City that it would take a whole lot more to compete in their first season back in the second tier’s stratospheric he

That’s a wrap on the 2026 Derby County reunion tour. But whether in the presence of Jake Buxton, Nigel Clough, or as at the AESSEAL New York Stadium, Rotherham United technical director Steve McClaren, The Rams’ performances haven’t exactly been vintage. Though, in fairness, that is not the point of pre-season friendlies. They are simply the warmup gigs. The opportunity to tweak the set list, fine tune the staging or test out new equipment. Finding the optimum set-up takes

Many boxing fans have long praised prospective Derby investor Turki Alalshikh for making huge fights happen. While many of the Pride Park faithful are hoping for a similarly big impact, head coach John Eustace seems more cautious. In his first media interview of the season, Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby after Saturday’s 1-0 Bass Charity Vase defeat to Burton Albion. He said: “Obviously I’ve spoken to the club and they’ve mentioned that there is a takeover, but I think

If you could bottle the feeling inside Pride Park during the opening ten minutes on Saturday for The Rams to sell, they would not be worried about the financial incentives of promotion. In stupendous sunshine, the Derby faithful rocked as John Eustace’s side flew out of the blocks against Sheffield United knowing a win and a bit of luck would be needed for a top six finish. Within sixteen seconds, Joe Ward shot low, his effort on the turn gathered by Adam Davies in net. M

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

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.

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.