3/1 To Win
Hillsborough is the destination for Derby County’s penultimate away fixture and dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the information you need to know ahead of our clash with Sheffield Wednesday…
Striker David Nugent remains a doubt for Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship encounter at Sheffield Wednesday.
The 31-year-old striker sustained a groin injury in Derby’s 4-0 defeat at Brentford on Good Friday.
He sat out the 1-1 draw at home to Huddersfield Town on Easter Monday and has been making progress in his rehabilitation work.
The frontman was due to train with the Derby squad on Friday but manager Gary Rowett says it remains ‘touch and go’ as to whether he will play any part at Hillsborough.
If Nugent doesn't make the game against the Owls, it looks likely that Darren Bent will keep his place in attack.
He told RamsTV: “Nuge is touch and go; he didn’t train before Friday but we’ll see how he is.
“He was due to train on Friday and we’ll see how he reacts. If everything is alright, then there’s a good chance he will be involved.”
Other than Nugent, Rowett has no fresh injury concerns for the game against the Owls.
Striker Nick Blackman and defender Craig Forsyth have been nursing knee injuries for long spells of the season and, despite returning to training, they won’t be in contention.
“We don’t have any other injury concerns from Monday’s game and have a near full squad to choose from,” he said.
“I don’t think there will be that many significant changes to what we do.
“Nick Blackman and Craig Forsyth have been training, not fully, but they are making good progress.”
Speaking to the media to preview the Rams' trip to Hillsborough, Rowett told RamsTV: “Every time a player pulls on the Derby County shirt it should be a case of playing with pride.
“That is not only for your own individual pride, but also that of the team as well.
“Ultimately, of course, it is never going to feel the same when there’s not that edge of having a play-off place to play for.
“However, it should not deter away from the fact we still have a lot to prove. There’s a different feel to the end of this season but we owe it ourselves and the fans to have a positive finish in the last two weeks. We want to show signs of positivity.
“The message to the players is the same as when I came in, so nothing has really changed in that regard.
“The perception from the outside, perhaps, is that this team doesn’t show enough desire and I have said before that I think that is unfair.
“What we have to do is continue to put performances in and get results; we want to end the season strongly. We’ve lost one of our last six and our form has been reasonably good of late, so we want to keep it going.”
He added: “It should be up to the players to be playing for the opportunity to be part of what we’re doing moving forwards.
“You want them to buy into that. As a player, when a new manager comes in you are aware that you have to change some things, although I have not been prescriptive with the players about exactly what we want to change.”
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After enduring several seasons in the backwaters of Serie A, Fernando Forestieri is arguably in the best form of his career at Hillsborough.
The 27-year-old was Sheffield Wednesday’s talisman last term as they reached the Play-Off Final, netting an impressive 15 times, and his infectious enthusiasm has seen the Argentine be rewarded with a contract extension in January.
The former Watford man sits top of the scoring charts at Hillsborough for a second successive campaign after being named as the club’s Player of the Year at the end of the 2015/16 season.
He is a man with promotion experience too.
Forestieri played a significant role in Watford’s promotion to the Premier League in 2014/15, featuring 26 times for the Hornets.
He originally signed on loan from Serie A side Udinese ahead of the 2012/13 campaign before penning a permanent contract in January 2013 of that season.
The sheer skill of the Italian Under-21 star soon saw Forestieri hit the spot in Hertfordshire and he has maintained cult hero status ever since.
Supporters will be able to purchase tickets at Hillsborough for Derby County’s Sky Bet Championship fixture at Sheffield Wednesday.
Supporters had the chance to pre-purchase tickets in advance of the fixture before they went off sale on Friday afternoon.
Tickets are available from 1:30pm at West Stand Upper turnstiles, with payment by cash only. The Under 5s match ticket is not available on the day of the game while there’s no matchday price increase.
Matchday ticket prices for the game have been confirmed as follows:
Adults £36
Senior Citizens (65+) £26
Under 21s £26
Under 17s * £15
Under 11s £10
* Any supporter under the age of 14 must be accompanied by someone aged 18 or above.
Disabled supporters’ information can be found by following this link: dcfc.co.uk/tickets/away_tickets.aspx.
Sheffield Wednesday will be happy to help any Rams supporters who have any questions or ticket queries ahead of the game.
Full details can be found on their website, which is swfc.co.uk.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0-0 DERBY COUNTYSunday 06 December, 2015
Derby County fought hard to ensure they extended their unbeaten run to three games with a 0-0 draw against last season’s beaten play-off finalists back in December 2015.
In a contest of very few chances, Bradley Johnson, returning from a one-match suspension, came closest to scoring with a pile driver that cracked the woodwork.
Resolute at the back, the Rams kept the Owls at arm’s length and restricted them to very little sightings of Lee Grant’s goal as the Rams recorded a third goalless draw in five visits to Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Palmer, Hutchinson, Loovens (C), Joao (Hooper, 76), Lee Lopez, Wallace, Pudil, Bannan, Forestieri
Substitutes not used: Wildsmith, Semedo, Nuhiu, McGugan, Wiggins, Sougou
Derby County: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Shackell, Warnock (Baird, 63); Thorne, Butterfield, Johnson; Ince (Russell, 63), Weimann (Bent, 76), Martin (C)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Hendrick, Pearce, Shotton
Attendance: 19,252>
PAUL TIERNEY will take charge of Derby County's Sky Bet Championship fixture away at Sheffield Wednesday this weekend.
The official has overseen 28 games so far this season, producing 101 yellows and five reds.
He has taken charge of two Derby fixtures this term, the last of which was the 3-2 victory over Wolves back in November.
He will be assisted by DARREN CANN and MICHAEL McDONOUGH on the lines, whilst CHRISTOPHER KAVANAGH has been appointed as the fourth official.
Remember, you can follow Gary Rowett’s men every step of the way throughout the season with dcfc.co.uk, Rams Player HD and RamsTV.
You can follow all the action from before, during and after Saturday’s game via the club’s social media channels.
We’ll have live updates on Twitter as well as goal and match action image updates across Facebook and Instagram too.
RamsTV 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.
Don't forget that Derby County supporters can access RamsTV on their iPhone, iPad and Android mobile device!
Rams supporters can also listen to live match commentary by heading to Rams Player HD.
dcfc.co.uk, RamsTV and Rams Player HD are the first places to head to for all of your up to date Derby County news, views and exclusive interviews, whilst also giving you the ability to watch match highlights and games in full.
Here's a brief reflection of what you can expect across all of our digital channels...
INTERVIEWS: Exclusive interviews with Gary Rowett, the Derby boss, and his playing squad, both pre-match and post-match, from every Rams game – home and 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!
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.
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