3/1 To Win
Back on home soil, Derby County will be looking to end a run of two successive draws and get back to winning ways when they take on Fulham this weekend.
In order to do so, the Rams will have to overcome the high-flying Cottagers (kick-off: 3pm) and dcfc.co.uk has collated all the information you need ahead of the visit of Slavisa Jokanovic’s men…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS
Gary Rowett provided an update on the fitness of Matej Vydra as Derby County prepare in the snow for the visit of Fulham.
Vydra – the top scorer in the division with 17 goals – missed the Rams’ trip to the Madejski Stadium to face Reading last week with a groin injury.
Rowett says that whilst it’s a possibility that Vydra could return to training in the coming days, he will continue to be assessed ahead of the clash with the Cottagers at Pride Park Stadium.
WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY?
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the weekend, Gary Rowett said: “It’ll be a tough test, we played well in stages of the game down at Craven Cottage and both sides had opportunities to win it.
“We know it will be a good game, we know that they’re a very good side that play football in a certain way, and they’re very consistent.
“They’re on a good run of form having beaten Villa and Wolves in recent weeks, but that’s the Championship.
“If you’re worried about the form of other teams and you lose your focus, then you’re not going to do very well in this division.
“We’re in a moment where we’re not playing badly, but we need to turn draws into wins.
“We need to stop making elementary mistakes, but we don’t feel that we suddenly need to do something completely different because we’ve been pretty consistent all season.
“I’ll be looking for a performance on Saturday without some of those elements because if they are there, then it’s difficult to win any game of football.”
ONE TO WATCH
Sure, last season was some arrival for local lad Ryan Sessegnon, but the 17-year-old is taking the division by storm this time around.
A left back by trade, his goalscoring tally is pretty impressive. He’s netted 13 so far this campaign, including a hat-trick in the crucial 5-4 win over Sheffield United, and in 2018 alone, only Sergio Aguero has scored more.
He’s tasted success too on the international stage and helped England’s Under-19s lift the European Championship in 2017, finishing as the tournament’s joint leading scorer.
Ryan 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.
HOW DO I SECURE MY SEAT
The matchday ticket prices have been confirmed for Derby County’s top-six Sky Bet Championship meeting with Fulham at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
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 - £26
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £19
Under-18s - £15.50
2 to 12 Year Olds - £9.50
* Category D & E prices are listed above.
A £1 per ticket booking fee applies when purchasing by either telephone or online.
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
After bagging two goals in his last two games, Kasey Palmer sat down with Derby County’s official matchday programme for an exclusive chat about his eye-catching career to date.
Spanning seven pages, the young attacking midfielder covered a wide-range of topics including his move to Chelsea, the Blues’ loan system, his race to be back for a Play-Off Final, joy at Huddersfield Town and what it takes to get over the line in a promotion race.
Jam-packed, as ever, with that and more exclusive features and content, supporters can purchase a copy of our 76-page official matchday programme for just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium.
Click here for a full review of what other content you can expect to find in your Fulham edition of The Ram
OUR LAST HOME MEETING WITH THE COTTAGERS?
DERBY COUNTY 4-2 FULHAM
Tuesday 4th April 2017
David Nugent bagged a hat trick as Derby County maintained their revival under Gary Rowett with an emphatic 4-2 victory over play-off chasing Fulham when these two sides last met at Pride Park Stadium in April 2017.
The forward bagged two and missed a penalty over an enthralling first 45 minutes, the latter two moments sandwiching an excellent finish from Floyd Ayité, who had temporarily levelled matters at Pride Park Stadium.
Nugent’s third was crucial and gave the Rams breathing space, before Johnny Russell capped off his 250th career start by notching his second goal of the season and the hosts’ fourth of the night to seal all three points.
Ayité bagged a late consolation, but the night belonged to Nugent, who claimed the matchball.
Derby County: Carson, Baird, Keogh (C), Pearce, Olsson; Bryson (Hughes, 82), Johnson; Ince, Vydra (Butterfield, 46), Russell; Nugent (Anya, 70)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Christie, Bent, Camara
Fulham: Button, Fredericks, Malone (Sessegnon, 83), McDonald, Cairney (C), Ayité, Ream, Johansen (Cyriac, 83), Piazon (Kebano, 77), Aluko, Kalas
Substitutes not used: Bettinelli, Madl, Sigurdsson, Petsos
WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE?
Derby County’s top-six Sky Bet Championship clash with Fulham on Saturday will be taken charge by Premier League referee Lee Mason.
Mason has officiated 19 games so far this term, mainly in the top flight. from which he has produced 48 yellow and three red cards, but this will be the first match involving the Rams that he has refereed.
The last Derby game he oversaw was in April 2016 when he was the man in the middle for the 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.
Mason officiated two other games involving Derby that season, as well as, notably, the Play-Off Final defeat to Queens Park Rangers at the end of the 2013/14 campaign.
Mason will be assisted by Andrew Halliday and Daniel Leach on the lines, whilst Christopher Sarginson has been appointed as the fourth official.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Supporters based outside of the UK and Republic of Ireland will then be able to enjoy full coverage of the entire match live from Pride Park.
Here’s a full rundown of what’s coming up on RamsTV:
FRIDAY
- Pre-Match Press Conference: Fulham (8.30am approx.) – RamsTV will be LIVE on Derby County’s Facebook page as Gary Rowett answers questions from the press.
- Fulham Preview Show (6.30pm) – Former Rams defenders Marc Edworthy and Michael Johnson join Owen Bradley in the RamsTV Studio to look ahead to Saturday’s big game at Pride Park with Fulham.
- Fan Cam – Pre-Fulham (7pm) – RamsTV’s Kim Birtwistle has been out and about to judge the mood of the Derby faithful in the lead up to Saturday’s clash with the Cottagers.
SATURDAY
- Matchday Live: Derby County Vs Fulham (2.15pm) – Owen Bradley will be joined LIVE in RamsTV’s Pride Park studio by Michael Johnson and Paul Peschisolido as they build up to kick-off at 3pm.
- International RamsTV subscribers will be able to watch the full game (kick-off: 3pm) with live commentary as well as half-time and full-time analysis from the RamsTV studio.
- Post Match Extra: Fulham (5.30pm approx.) – RamsTV’s interactive show lets fans share their thoughts on Derby’s performance as well as providing an opportunity to see manager Gary Rowett’s post-match interview. Head over to the club’s Facebook page following the final whistle to join in.
SUNDAY
- Match Highlights: Fulham (12pm) – RamsTV’s extended match highlights package will feature all the goals, incidents and key moments from the day before.
- Matchday Relived: Fulham (6pm) – Watch the entirety of RamsTV’s matchday production including the full 90 minutes of action along with the pre-game, half time and full time analysis from the team in the RamsTV studio.
MONDAY
Fulham Review Show (6pm) – Former Rams defenders Roy McFarland and Shane Nicholson will join RamsTV’s Owen Bradley as they pick apart all the key talking points from the game with Fulham, before looking ahead to Tuesday night’s game with QPR.
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 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.
