West Bromwich Albion will face a "different" Derby County in Monday's play-off final, according to Rams boss Billy Davies.

The two sides met twice in the space of a month earlier in the season with both winning their respective home games.

But they were at the start of November and then the start of December - and a lot has happened since then.

Davies says that the matches, a 2-1 win for Derby at Pride Park followed by a 1-0 success for the Baggies at the Hawthorns, will have no bearing on Monday's Wembley encounter.

"We're a different team now than we were then, particularly in the first game at Pride Park when we didn't play well but eventually won it," the gaffer told www.dcfc.co.uk.

"They outplayed us then but we went to their place, we were the better side in the second half but lost out.

"But this is different. We're a different animal now, we've got some crucial players coming back in at a very good time that may help us on the day."

It's a third successive crack at the play-offs for Davies and a second final in three years.

But he rates taking Derby to Wembley as a greater achievement than reaching a Cardiff final in 2005 with Preston, and then taking the Lilywhites to the semi-final last year.

"There are lost of comparisons but this without doubt is the best achievement to date for Billy Davies, and hopefully it will be third time lucky in the play-offs," he said.

"No matter what happens though I'm very proud to be leading this team out at Wembley, and I'm very proud to be in the play-off final.

"I'm also very proud to have given the supporters and everyone at this club some great memories at a time when we're very much still developing and in transition."