After picking up five wins from six over December, Derby County will be looking to kick off 2018 with a bang when they take on Sheffield United.
The Rams begin the New Year at Pride Park (kick-off: 3pm) and dcfc.co.uk has collated all the information you need ahead of the visit of Chris Wilder’s men…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS
The Rams are likely to be without Bradley Johnson for the meeting with the Blades.
The 30-year-old midfielder missed the 2-1 win over Ipswich Town with a back complaint and Gary Rowett said after the victory at Portman Road that he was likely to miss the visit of the Blades too.
That could be the case with Joe Ledley too.
The Wales international also has a minor back problem, but may not be risked against Chris Wilder’s side.
Tom Lawrence went straight down the tunnel after being substituted during the second half of the meeting with Ipswich. He took a heavy knock towards the end of the first half and it will be touch and go as to whether he will feature.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of this weekend’s game, Gary Rowett said: “The fixture list has been difficult, we put everything into the game and we had a three-and-a-half-hour journey home and one day to recover.
“I don’t think that there is a player in there that hasn’t done that before and the decision will be about who plays on Monday.
“We’ll have to freshen it up again, even if players have played well today it’s a big ask for them to go and do it again, so we’ll have to make some decisions that might not be too popular.
“I know that they’ve not been in a great run of form but they’re a difficult side to play against.”
ONE TO WATCH
It was a season that started in conspicuous fashion for Leon Clarke.
No goals in his first three games, in his fourth against Barnsley he picked up a red card for violent conduct and missed the next three.
In his sixth game of the campaign, however, he announced his arrival back in the Sky Bet Championship. At Hillsborough, in the Steel City derby, of all places. Clarke struck twice in a 4-2 win at rivals Sheffield Wednesday, then netted both goals in a victory over table-toppers Wolves three days later.
It then took more than a month and five barren games for Clarke to strike again, but he did so in emphatic fashion with four against Hull, and he followed that up with one at Burton before another hat-trick against Fulham - albeit in a 5-4 defeat.
Eight goals in his last three games, Clarke has scored one more hat-trick in his last three appearances than he managed in his previous 430 games. In the form of his life and he arrives at Pride Park as the division’s leading marksman.
HOW DO I SECURE MY SEAT
Ticket prices are increased on the day of a game, so pre-purchasing prior to matchdays is recommended.
Tickets are available for Derby County supporters from:
Adults - £31
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £22.50
Under-18s - £18
2 to 12 Year Olds - £11
* Category D & E prices are listed above.
For matchday ticket enquiries and purchases, please visit the Ticket Office at Pride Park Stadium or call 0871 472 1884 (option 1).
Alternatively, supporters can also buy tickets online right here on dcfc.co.uk.
* Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM
Passing the halfway point of a season is as good a time as any to assess what’s been and gone.
With that in mind, Derby County’s Executive Chairman Mel Morris, CBE, has penned an exclusive column whilst Manager Gary Rowett sat down for an exclusive interview – both to give their take on the club’s season so far.
Over two-pages, Mr Morris analyses the great work that has been undertaken on and off the pitch whilst Rowett, over a six-page chat, incorporating our questions as well as those sent in by supporters, discusses the lessons he has learned, his personal highlight, the importance of data analytics and his plans in the January transfer window.
Jam-packed with more exclusive features and content, supporters, as ever, can purchase a copy of our award-winning official matchday programme, which retails at just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium.
Click here for a review of what else you can expect to find in our latest edition of The Ram.
LAST TIME OUT AGAINST THE BLADES?
SHEFFIELD UNITED 3-1 DERBY COUNTY
Saturday 26th August 2017
Derby County fell to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in their final game before the first international break of this season back in August.
Blades captain Billy Sharp opened the scoring for the home side inside the opening five minutes and just before half time, an own goal from Johnny Russell put the hosts ahead by two.
Gary Rowett’s side did manage to get one back in the 91st minute of play through Craig Bryson, but a 98th minute goal from Sharp saw the home side eventually secure victory.
Sheffield United: Blackman, Stevens, Fleck, O’Connell, Basham, Sharp (C), Wright, Coutts, Freeman, Duffy (Carruthers, 64; Lundstram, 80), Lavery (Evans, 54)
Substitutes not used: Carter-Vickers, Lafferty, Eastwood, Brooks
Derby County: Carson, Wisdom, Keogh, Davies, Olsson, Huddlestone, Johnson, Weimann (Bryson, 71), Vydra, Russell (Lawrence, 57), Nugent (Martin, 57)
Substitutes not used: Baird, Pearce, Butterfield, Mitchell
Attendance: 26,202 (2,367 Derby Supporters)
WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE?
Darren Bond will take charge of Derby County's 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Sheffield United on New Year's Day.
Bond has overseen 22 games so far this season, producing a total of 78 yellow cards and two reds.
He has already taken charge of two Rams games this season; the 5-0 home victory against Hull City in September and the 1-1 draw at Fulham in November.
Bond will be assisted by Mark Jones and Adam Matthews on the lines, whilst Karl Evans has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Supporters based outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland will be able to watch every kick of the Rams’ clash with the Blades with live commentary from Jack Woodward and former Derby full-back, Shane Nicholson.
Following the game, RamsTV will have all the reaction from manager Gary Rowett and his side along with a look back at all the key moments in a comprehensive highlights package.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s coming up on RamsTV:
MONDAY – NEW YEAR’S DAY
- Matchday Live: Derby County Vs Sheffield United (14.15pm) - Owen Bradley, Michael Johnson and Marc Edworthy will be LIVE from Pride Park Stadium in the RamsTV studio ahead of kick-off. The show will feature stats, analysis and an exclusive pre-match interview with Rams boss Gary Rowett.
- International RamsTV subscribers will be able to watch the full game with live commentary and half-time and full-time analysis from the RamsTV studio.
- Post-Match Extra: Sheffield United (17.30pm approx.) - Owen Bradley will be joined live on Derby County’s official Facebook page with former Ram, Shane Nicholson, as they share your thoughts and answer your questions following the game against the Blades.
TUESDAY
- Full Match Highlights: Derby County Vs Sheffield United (12pm) – All the goals and key moments from the Rams’ New Year’s Day fixture against promotion rivals Sheffield United.
- Matchday Relived: Derby County Vs Sheffield United (6pm) – Watch the entirety of RamsTV’s matchday production from the previous day including all the pre-match build up, the full 90 minutes of action and all the half-time and full-time analysis from the RamsTV studio.
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 Pride Park Stadium.
