Preview: Huddersfield Town (H)

Derby County return to the iPro Stadium looking to secure their third win in four Sky Bet Championship games when they face Huddersfield Town this weekend.

Leading up to the match, and during the game itself against David Wagner’s side, we will be using the hashtag #DCFCvHTAFC across all of our social media networks throughout the course of the fixture.

We want the Derby County supporters to get involved in the build-up to the game, by sending us your pictures, videos (Vines) and comments including the aforementioned hashtag.

Darren Wassall, the Derby Head Coach, will have no fresh injuries ahead of Saturday's game.

He and the squad, however, were handed a boost as Will Hughes returned to full training last week.

The midfielder continues to step up his recovery from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that he sustained on the opening day of the season and will continue to edge closer to the first team picture in the coming month as he bids to be available for the end of the season run in.

Craig Forsyth and Max Lowe both remain ruled out of action as they continue to recover from long-term injuries.

Wassall has hinted that, with three games to play inside eight days, he may look to ‘share the load’ in terms of team selection.

He felt that the wins over Brentford and Blackburn, emphatically ending the Rams’ eight-game run without a win, proved to not only be physically draining - but also emotionally.

He said: “We’re getting to know the players more every week, as they are with the staff as well. We know we can improve to make sure we get more consistency.

“We want to keep consistency in terms of selection as well, but we have to be aware of how physically and emotionally demanding three-game weeks are.

“After the back-to-back wins over Brentford and Blackburn it took more out of them emotionally than either I or the staff thought, especially as they were two big wins and maybe we’ll look to share the load moving forward.”

Speaking to Rams Player HD ahead of the game, Darren Wassall said: "We need to impose ourselves on the game and that is something that we are working on all the time.

“We’ve been here three weeks now, with the first team, and that is a message we’ve continued to put across to the players.

“We’ve done it sporadically but we haven’t done it enough for my liking. The first half at Brentford was an excellent example of that and we want to continue in the same vein.

“We have a very difficult week coming up with games against Huddersfield Town, Queens Park Rangers and Rotherham United, but it is also an opportunity for us.

“I’m comfortable with the progress that we are making, but we need to make more and hopefully that happens on Saturday.

“We are working hard to make sure we start the game strongly, get the right result and make sure we are as successful as possible between now and the end of the season.”

Huddersfield Town signed striker Nahki Wells from West Yorkshire rivals Bradford City for an undisclosed club record fee in the January 2014 transfer window and he has proven to be worth every penny.

The 25-year-old striker was second in the League 1 scoring charts with 14 goals when he signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with the Terriers.

Before that, the Bermudian scored 18 goals and assisted five as the Bantams achieved promotion to League 1 in the 2012/13 season, scoring the third as City beat Northampton Town 3-0 in the Play-Off Final.

He also scored three goals as City reached the Capital One Cup Final, including the opener against Aston Villa at Valley Parade.

The striker, sporting the number 21 shirt, made a scoring debut as a substitute in Town’s Sky Bet Championship home win over Millwall on 11 January 2014. He finished the season with seven goals for the Terriers.

In his first full season as a Terrier, he was the Club's top scorer with another 14 goals in all competitions.

Accustomed to life in the second tier now, he is a proven lethal finisher at this level and has already netted 14 goals this time around for the Terriers to be amongst the division’s leading scorers again.

Tickets are still on General Sale for Saturday's home game at the iPro Stadium.

The game is a Silver Category fixture and seats are on sale from:

£26 Adults

£18.50 Senior Citizens

£14.50 Under 18s

£7 Under 12s

* Category E prices listed above and Under 12s tickets are available across all areas of the iPro Stadium for this game.

The game will also be Derby’s second ‘Family Day’ home fixture of the season and number of activities are planned in-and-around the iPro Stadium, ahead of Mother's Day on Sunday 6th March.

Pricing details for all areas of the iPro Stadium can be viewed at WeAreDerby.com.

Popular defender Jake Buxton headlines the 18th edition of this season's official matchday magazine for this weekend’s game.

Turning 31 today, the wholehearted defender spoke to The Ram about the past 12 months, his unwavering passion for football, life under Darren Wassall and working his way through his coaching badges.

The latest edition of the official matchday magazine can be bought from all around and inside the iPro Stadium ahead of the game.

Consisting of 84-pages, as ever The Ram will boast an array of features, costing just £3 per copy.

The DCFCvHTAFC edition of The Ram includes the following:

* Sam Rush Column: Derby County’s President & Chief Executive reviews the start to life under Darren Wassall as well as the latest news surrounding the club after it was announced the Rams are the most-watched Football League side on the television.

* From The Dugout: Derby’s Head Coach assesses his side’s 2-1 loss at Wolves last time out, Chris Martin’s return to goalscoring form and Will Hughes’ return to full training.

* Captain’s Comments: Club Captain Richard Keogh pens his thoughts on Derby’s last three-game week, team bonding at Silverstone and his aim to kick March off to the best possible start.

* Action Stations: Look back on the best of the pictures as Derby County recorded a hard fought win against Blackburn Rovers and a narrow defeat at Wolves.

* The Big Interview: Back in the first team fold, Jake Buxton speaks exclusively to The Ram to assess his fight back from a back injury, playing for the Under 21s, what Darren Wassall has brought to the table and being an influence in the dressing room.

* Huddersfield Town In Profile: Over seven pages, The Ram analyses this weekend’s visitors and spoke to the Huddersfield Examiner’s Terriers reporter, Doug Thomson, to get a deeper insight into the players that Wassall and his squad will encounter.

* Bald Eagle’s Barmy Army: This season marks the 20th anniversary of the Rams’ promotion to the top flight under Jim Smith. We analyse the club’s two more fixtures from that season and profile two of the key members from the class of ‘96.

* Back To School: Bradley Johnson is the latest first team player to sit down with The Ram and reflect on his Primary and Secondary school days in London.

* Academy Focus: The Ram reviews all the Academy news after Alex Cover and Alex Babos penned their first professional contracts earlier this week, whilst the Under 18s won their first game of 2016 in emphatic fashion.

* Behind The Scenes: Player Supporter Officer Adam Storer sat down with The Ram to talk about his job role and making sure the players are on call 24/7.

* Fantasy Football: One Derby County fan goes under the spotlight and is quizzed about his greatest memories of the club growing up.

* Collectable Poster: Designed in house, pick up the latest of our collectable posters FREE with your copy of The Ram.

Written in-house, in partnership with Ignition Publications who designs and produces The Ram, the official programme really is the essential matchday accessory.

For more details, or to subscribe for the 2015/16 season, call Ignition Publications on 01347 821344.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-2 DERBY COUNTY

Derby County stretched their unbeaten run to eight games earlier this season with a 2-1 victory at Huddersfield Town back in October.

Chris Martin put Derby in front with a composed finish after 15 minutes to continue his impressive run of goalscoring form.

However, the hosts were back level just after the half hour when Harry Bunn scored from close range.

Derby weren’t to be denied though and a stunning strike from George Thorne three minutes after half time secured all three points and preserved the side’s unbeaten run away from home in the league.

After coping with some early pressure from the home side the Rams were quickly able to stamp their authority on the game.

Tom Ince and Johnny Russell both had shots deflected behind for corners before Derby opened the scoring after 15 minutes.

Martin, with his eighth goal of the season, kept his cool to calmly stroke the ball into the far corner from six yards out after Russell’s scuffed shot from 18 yards fell into his path.

The goal oozed of a striker in confident form as he quickly brought the ball under to control and then slotted the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper.

The Rams, at that point, had complete control as they dominated possession and continued to find themselves in good attacking positions.

They were dealt, however, a blow just before the half hour when Ince appeared to pick up a knock and he was replaced by summer signing Andreas Weimann in attack.

Moments later, on 31 minutes and against the run of play, Huddersfield hauled themselves back onto level terms.

Derby failed to deal with a ball into the box from the right and, after Miller thundered a shot against the crossbar, Bunn was on hand to scramble the ball over the line.

Martin glanced a header wide and Weimann blasted over as the Rams sought to retake the lead and only a fine piece of goalkeeping by Steer, tipping Shackell’s header over from Russell’s corner, prevented them retaking the lead four minutes before the interval.

Straight after half time Huddersfield carved out a shooting chance for Miller just inside the box but Carson made a fairly routine save.

Seconds later, Derby retook as Thorne produced a moment of sheer brilliance to bag his first goal in a Rams shirt since May 2014.

Butterfield’s cross into the box was only cleared to Thorne, who took a touch and then let fly with a superb effort from 25 yards which thundered into the top corner.

After his injury frustration last season, the outstanding strike in front of the 3,800 Derby fans was a special moment for the popular midfielder.

Huddersfield did show an immediate reaction to going behind by applying some pressure by trying to utilise the pace of Miller, but Derby’s backline stood strong.

By the hour, the Rams had managed to get a firmer grip of the game and were enjoying plenty of possession in the Huddersfield half.

Russell forced a routine save from Steer after cutting inside from the right to get a shot in before the goalkeeper produced two fine saves within 60 seconds to deny Derby a third with just over 15 minutes remaining.

First he managed to keep out a shot Cyrus Christie’s low shot from inside the box and then, from the resultant corner, he was alert to push away Martin’s glancing header at the near post.

The on-loan Aston Villa goalkeeper continued to keep the Terriers in the contest as the latter stages approached as he stood tall to save Martin’s shot, after the striker burst into the box from the left and looked destined to score.

Huddersfield did have a late change as substitute Jamie Paterson produced some neat footwork in the box to get a shot in, however he fired wide as Derby breathed a big sigh of relief.

That chance came during a spell of late pressure from the hosts, but ultimately Thorne's fine strike was, deservedly, the winner.

Huddersfield Town: Steer, Davidson, Whitehead, Hudson, Scannell (Carayol 21), Miller (Bojaj 83), Cranie, Huws, Bunn (Paterson 76), Wells, Lynch

Substitutes Not Used: Murphy, Smith, Billing, Boyle

Substitutes Not Used: Grant, Baird, Pearce, Shotton

Eddie Ilderton will take charge of Saturday's game at the iPro Stadium.

The official has overseen 22 games so far this season, where he has produced a total of 46 yellow cards and two reds.

His last Derby fixture was the 2-0 home win over Cardiff City earlier this season.

He will be assisted by Andrew Hendley and Duncan Street on the lines, whilst Christopher Sarginson has been appointed as the Fourth Official.

Derby have been backed as heavy favourites to claim their third win in four outings against Huddersfield.

Sky Bet, the official betting partner of the Rams, have priced Darren Wassall’s side at just 19/20 to claim all the spoils when they take on the Terriers.

David Wagner’s side are 3/1 to claim their first win away at Derby since 1957, whilst a draw can be backed at 5/2.

To view that, and more odds on the game as well as all the other matches that are coming up in the Football League this weekend, visit: skybet.com/derby.

Remember, you can follow Darren Wassall’s men every step of the way throughout the season with dcfc.co.uk and Rams Player HD.

Rams Player HD is Derby County's official online TV station and has been designed for you, the fans, with a cutting edge user-friendly design to give the ultimate online fan experience.

Fully Apple MAC compatible, Rams Player HD allows fans to sit back and enjoy the benefits of being a subscriber in crystal clear clarity and is available at the bargain price of just 10p per day, with various packages and special offers available throughout the season.

Don't forget that Derby County supporters can also now access Rams Player on their iPhone, iPad and Android mobile device.

So Rams fans can listen to live match commentary and watch video highlights and interviews wherever they are.

Rams Player is the first place for Derby County news, views and exclusive interviews, as well as the ability to watch match highlights and games in full.

Follow this link to sign up to Rams Player HD: player.dcfc.co.uk

Here's what you get as part of the Rams Player HD package:

INTERVIEWS: Exclusive interviews with Head Coach Darren Wassall and his playing squad, both pre-match and post-match, from every Rams game – home or away!

THE FULL 90: Rams Player HD strives to have the full 90 minutes from every single first-team game online within 48 hours of the final whistle, providing the perfect opportunity for fans who can’t get to the game or live abroad not to miss a minute!

CLASSIC MATCHES: Rams Player HD regularly takes a trip down memory lane to look back at the classic matches involving Derby County from days gone by, including a number of memorable European nights at the Baseball Ground.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Highlights from each and every first-team game appear on Rams Player within 24 hours after every match, ensuring you don't miss out on the goals and talking points from the latest game.

FULL MATCH COMMENTARY: Rams Player HD is the ONLY place supporters can listen to Derby County's first-team matches online, with commentary is provided by BBC Radio Derby and provides near-DAB quality sound of every match.

EXTENDED MATCH HIGHLIGHTS: Rams Player HD will provide supporters with extended match highlights of every first-team game.

The revised price for Rams Player HD in 2015/16 is £37.99 (direct debit) and £42.99 (credit card) just £4.49 per month (10p per day).

To take full advantage of the video and audio service, and to get access to plenty more exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the iPro Stadium and the Training Centre in partnership with the University of Derby, sign up now.