3/1 To Win
For Scott Carson, the 2017/18 season was one of his finest.
An accumulation of experience spanning a decade and a half is what the Derby County No. 1 credits his stellar form to.
In a campaign that saw him reach 111 consecutive league games, a run dating back to January 2016, the 32-year-old recorded his first season of 20 clean sheets to help the Rams finish sixth in the Sky Bet Championship and move on to the play-off semi-final.
Having played in the Premier League, Champions League and Championship Play-Offs, Carson is no stranger to performing on a big stage.
It’s those experiences that helped propel the veteran to a standout season in which he saved 65.5 percent of shots faced, making 95 saves while conceding 50 in all Championship league and play-off games.
Reflecting on his performance over the year, Carson told RamsTV: “I just wanted to play consistently, and consistently well.
“When you are younger and you haven’t experienced [big games] before, you don’t know what to expect and you are constantly doubting yourself, you are looking at the clock wishing your game away.
“Now it’s all about trying to savour every single moment, every single game and that is what I have tried to do over the last couple of games.
He added: “I’ve played I don’t know how many games now, so I know what it’s about and what I have got to do. I am confident in my own abilities that I can do it.
“There are going to be games where you think you can improve and done things a lot better but it’s about keeping that same level through the season. That’s the big thing and it is all I have wanted to do since I was a kid.
“I’ve been really happy with my form, but at the end of the day it wasn’t enough to help the team back to where we want to be.”
The Premier League was the destination the Rams hoped to reach by the conclusion of the season. After gaining a 1-0 lead in the play-off semi-final against Fulham, a 2-0 defeat in the second leg ended their campaign.
Carson made eight saves at Craven Cottage to keep Derby in the game, but the Cottagers persistence proved too much for the Rams.
Carson, who was promoted to the Premier League with West Bromwich Albion in the 2009/10 season, will now take the summer to refocus.
Although his time away from the Derby camp may be far from a relaxing break.
“I’m not one for just sitting in the house, I like to be busy,” he said.
“I’m sure the missus will have a million things for me to do and with the kids off it will be no holiday, they will make it harder than coming to training!
“I just need to try and relax, get the season out of my head and have a couple of weeks to chill out and start getting my head into getting going again.”
