3/1 To Win
It’s full steam ahead for Derby County following the conclusion of the third international break of the season as they prepare to gear up for a return to action against Fulham in Saturday’s late kick-off, kick-off: 5:30pm.
The Rams take on last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists looking for an immediate return to winning ways and ahead of the game, dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the key information you are going to need to know…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?
Gary Rowett provided a fitness update on a handful of Derby County players ahead of their return to action at the weekend.
Joe Ledley and Richard Keogh both returned to training and are likely to return to action.
Tom Lawrence, who scored for Wales in the 1-1 draw with Panama in midweek, picked up a dead leg, but will be monitored and is expected to be passed fit for the weekend.
Bradley Johnson had a rib complaint earlier this week but like Lawrence, he is expected to be fine for this weekend’s fixture.
Johnny Russell, on the other hand, is struggling with a hamstring problem and is a doubt for the Rams’ clash with the Cottagers.
WHAT DID THE BOSS HAVE TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage, Gary Rowett said: “We’ve worked incredibly hard to ourselves into a position where the game in hand doesn’t feel so significant, we’re in a reasonably healthy position, of course we want to be higher, but we know that the game in hand just adds a little bit to the run that we’ve been on.
“We’re in a good position, I think there are a lot of teams that would like to be sat in the position that we are now.
“We’re one point off the play-offs with a game in hand, but what we need to do is continue to be competitive and win games of football.”
“We don’t want to throw away some of the good work that we’ve already done, and we know that in this division, it’s very easy to do that.
“The Reading game was probably ideal preparation, because they’re very similar to Fulham. They move the ball around very well, they retain possession, especially from the goalkeeper.
“Regardless of their form and the fact that they’ve struggled against teams that try to press a little more, and that’s something we’ll look at.
“Regardless of the scenario, they’re still a very good side that are capable of beating any team on their day, so we’ll make sure that we give that message to the players.”
WHO IS THE PLAYER TO WATCH?
Local lad Ryan Sessegnon made quite an impression in his breakthrough season in senior football last season… as a 16-year-old!
The left back joined Fulham, alongside twin brother Steven, in the summer of 2008, joining up with the Under-9s.
A left-sided defender with attacking instincts, he's risen through the ranks quickly, and was a regular for Steve Wigley's Under-18 side in 2015/16, despite being just 15 years of age.
His good form in the Academy did not go unnoticed by Slaviša Jokanović, who called Sessegnon up for First Team duties ahead of the new season, and he promptly scored his maiden senior goal in a 3-0 friendly win against Brighton & Hove Albion.
A debut was not far away as he started against Leyton Orient in an EFL Cup victory, and he made his first league appearance in the 1-1 draw at Leeds United shortly after.
Sessegnon ended the 2016/17 campaign with an impressive seven goals in 30 appearances, and the summer saw him sign his first professional contract, which keeps him at Fulham until at least June 2020 – despite a lot of interest from the Premier League.
HOW YOU CAN SECURE YOUR SEAT?
Tickets for Derby County’s fixture at Fulham this afternoon will be available on arrival at Craven Cottage.
Supporters had the chance to pre-purchase tickets in advance of the fixture before they went off sale on Friday afternoon.
Tickets increase by £5 in all age categories apart from Under-18s on the day of the game and are available from the Putney End turnstiles, with payment by cash only.
Matchday tickets have been confirmed at the following prices:
Adults £35
Senior Citizens (65+) £30
Ages 18-21 Year Olds £30
Under-18s £15
Fulham 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 fulhamfc.com.
IMPORTANT PRE-MATCH INFORMATION
Saturday 18th November marks the 30th anniversary of the Kings Cross fire and a planned a remembrance service will take place outside the station.
It’s the club’s understanding that many Derby supporters will be coming through Kings Cross and we urge you to do so in good time to avoid any delays.
LAST TIME OUT AT CRAVEN COTTAGE
FULHAM 2-2 DERBY COUNTY
Saturday 17th December 2016
Alex Pearce’s towering header 15 minutes from time saw Derby County fight back to earn a 2-2 draw from an enthralling clash with Fulham in the Capital when these two sides last met at Craven Cottage.
The defender leapt to meet Tom Ince’s delivery and power it into the back of the net at the near post in front of the 3,000+ contingent of Rams fans that made the journey down to SW6.
It saw Steve McClaren’s side battle back from a goal down to earn a result for the first time since the Derby manager’s return in October, after the Cottagers themselves had fought back from Ince’s opener to lead 2-1 at the hour mark thanks to strikes from Floyd Ayité and Stefan Johansen.
Whilst the Rams’ seven-game winning streak came to an end, Pearce’s header does mean that the club are eight games unbeaten and on the fringes of the play-off positions going into Christmas.
Fulham: Button, Fredericks, Malone, McDonald, Cairney (C), Ayité, Johansen, Sigurdsson (Parker, 45), Piazon, Aluko (Humphrys, 87), Kalas (Madl, 31)
Substitutes not used: Bettinelli, Odoi, Kebano, Smith,
Derby County: Carson, Baird, Keogh (C), Pearce, Olsson; Johnson, Butterfield, Bryson Ince (Weimann, 90), Vydra (Bent, 65), Russell (Camara, 65)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Shackell, Hughes, Hanson
Attendance: 18,748
WHO ARE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Darren Bond will take charge of Derby County's 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture away to Fulham on Saturday.
Bond has overseen 15 games so far this season, producing a total of 54 yellow cards and one red.
His last Derby game was the impressive 5-0 home victory against Hull City back in September.
Bond will be assisted by Jonathan Hunt and Darren Fox on the lines, whilst Charles Breakspear has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW I CAN FOLLOW THE ACTION
Due to the day’s late kick-off game being screened live on Sky Sports, RamsTV are NOT be able to stream this match against the Cottagers live, but supporters, both in the UK and abroad, will still able to listen to every moment of the action.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our #FFCvDCFC Matchday Live production:
FRIDAY
- The Fulham Preview Show (6pm) Host Owen Bradley is back in the RamsTV studio and is joined by club ambassadors Roger Davies and Marc Edworthy to look ahead to the clash with Slavisa Jokanovic’s side.
- U23s Matchday Live (6:45pm) – The RamsTV cameras cross live to the London Stadium to bring you coverage of Derby County Under-23s’ Premier League 2 Division 1 match with West Ham United – with commentary brought to you by Jack Woodward and Michael Johnson. Click here to be taken to our live streaming page.
SATURDAY
- U18s Matchday Live (10:50am) – Before our final Fulham preview, RamsTV’s cameras head over to the Training Centre in partnership with the University of Derby to bring you live Premier League – North action to see whether our in-form Under-18s can maintain their unbeaten run against Wolves.
- Matchday Live (4:45pm) – Owen Bradley takes his place back in the RamsTV studio and is joined by Marc Edworthy and Michael Johnson for the final look ahead to Derby’s clash with Fulham.
- Matchday Live will be the only place supporters will be able to catch the final pre-match interview with Gary Rowett ahead of kick-off (5:30pm).
- If you are based in the UK and Republic of Ireland you will be able to listen to live audio commentary from BBC Radio Derby, whilst subscribers based outside the UK will also be able to listen to all the action every step of the way – with Martin Fisher and Shane Nicholson providing live commentary on the latter.
SUNDAY
- Match Highlights and the full Matchday Live show will be available to view for supporters in the UK the day after each first-team fixture on 12pm across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV.
MONDAY
- The Queens Park Rangers Review Show (6pm) No time for just reflecting, Owen Bradley is joined by club legend Roy McFarland and club ambassador Marc Edworthy to review the action from Craven Cottage before looking straight ahead to the visit of Ian Holloway’s QPR side at Pride Park Stadium.
- Behind The Scenes At Fulham (8pm) Review Derby’s trip to the Capital from a different angle with our behind the scenes video.
The RamsTV streaming service is available to all supporters who register on dcfc.co.uk.
To access the full RamsTV streaming service will cost the following:
First-Team Match Streaming (outside UK) - £110 annual subscription or £12.50 per month
First-Team Audio Commentary (worldwide) - £45 annual subscription or £5 per month
First-Team Pay Per Game - Match Streaming (outside UK) - £5 for the individual game
A link to packages can be found here.
The two premium services are in addition to the regular pre-match and post-match interviews on RamsTV.
Supporters will also be able to follow all of the action, as usual, across our social media channels.
We will be providing behind the scenes content across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where we will also provide a blow-by-blow account of proceedings at Craven Cottage.
