Derby County will continue their busy Sky Bet Championship games programme with a trip to Preston North End on Wednesday 1st July (5pm kick-off) to begin another busy week of action on the pitch.

Derby have seven matches left to play in the league campaign and they will be looking to maintain their fine run of form after recording four successive league wins to push themselves into the play-off race.

Both Derby and Preston sit level on points in the Championship table, with 57 points, and dcfc.co.uk has gathered all the information you will need ahead of the trip to Deepdale.

RAMSTV STREAMING INFORMATION…

With Derby County’s next three Sky Bet Championship behind-closed-doors matches against Preston North End, Nottingham Forest and West Bromwich Albion selected for live coverage by Sky Sports, supporters are reminded of the usual restrictions for streaming RamsTV.


Derby face Preston at Deepdale on Wednesday 1st July (5pm kick-off), Forest at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 4th July (12:30pm kick-off), and then West Brom at the Hawthorns on Wednesday 8th July (5pm kick-off).

All three matches will be available to watch LIVE on RamsTV via dcfc.co.uk or through the Official Derby County App, but ONLY for Season Ticket Holders who opted for Free RamsTV streaming in the club’s Refund & Exchange Policy because under the terms of the broadcast agreement between the EFL and Sky Sports, pay-per-view streaming is not available to live selections in the UK.

Supporters who live in countries classed as dark market territories can purchase the pay-per-view option to watch the matches at the EFL mandated charge of £5 per match.


A list of dark market territories can be found here: dcfc.co.uk/page/ramstv-availability-for-tv-games.

Season Ticket Holders who opted for Free RamsTV streaming are advised to ensure their current details are registered with dcfc.co.uk, and to ensure the following:

  • You know your Derby County 8-digit Fan ID
  • Your account details with dcfc.co.uk are up to date
  • You know your email address registered with dcfc.co.uk
  • You know your account password registered with dcfc.co.uk
  • You have redeemed your RamsTV voucher code (if you haven’t done so already)
  • You are logged into your account well in advance of kick-off to avoid potential matchday streaming issues. RamsTV content will be streaming from earlier in the day and the Matchday Live build-up starts 30 minutes before kick-off

Season Ticket Holders who have redeemed their voucher code already do not need to do anything other than login to their account early ahead of kick-off. Those who have not yet redeemed their voucher code can still do so but are advised to do this as soon as possible.


RAMSTV STREAMING QUESTIONS…

Head over to dcfc.co.uk's FAQs relating to RamsTV live streams, simply by clicking here.

For any additional queries relating to login and account creation on dcfc.co.uk, please email [email protected]

TEAM NEWS…

Manager Phillip Cocu will be without forward Tom Lawrence as he serves the first game of a three-match ban following his red card at the end of Saturday's 2-1 home win over Reading.

Therefore, Cocu will be forced into at least one change and attcaking midfielders Duane Holmes, Florian Jozefzoon and Jason Knight will be pushing for recalls to the starting line-up.


Defender Andre Wisdom will not be available after he was the victim of an unprovoked assault and robbery at the weekend. He sustained injuries which resulted in him being admitted to hospital.

Striker Jack Marriott is not available as he has a groin injury which has required surgery. He could miss the rest of the season, depending on how his rehabilitation work progresses.

Talks have been ongoing in recent weeks between the club and representatives of Tom Huddlestone. Neither a temporary nor a permanent agreement has been reached to extend his contract beyond the end of June at this time, so he will be unavailable for selection.

Polish international midfielder Krystian Bielik remains out of action with a long-term knee injury which he sustained back in January. Bielik is making good progress in his rehabilitation programme but will remain sidelined for the remainder of the season.

PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS…


Speaking to RamsTV ahead of Wednesday's game, Derby's Head Goalkeeping Coach Shay Given said: “We have some massive games coming up in the next few weeks and it’s against teams around us and that’s great.

“The big games were the ones that I used to enjoy as a player - the bigger the game the better - and the players are really looking forward to the games ahead. They are against teams around us and fighting for top six; we are very much in the mix now.

“I always think these games are better because there is more at stake for either clubs and we feel that our team can rise to the occasion.”


Given added: “The top six will be the top six come the end of the season and if we are in there then that will be absolutely brilliant, and we will have absolutely deserved it.

“We all agree that we had a slow start to the season but from 1st January, we have been top of the form table so we are in really good form. Our mentality is strong and positive, and we are focused on the games coming up.

“They are tough games, but we believe that we have the team in the right balance and hopefully we can get the right results.”

More pre-match comments from Given, and defender Jayden Bogle, can be found across dcfc.co.uk and also on RamsTV.

NEW SUBSTITUTE RULES…


There's a new matchday rule in place for the final nine games of the 2019/20 season when it comes to substitutes in games.

  • Each team will have a maximum of three opportunities to make substitutions
  • If both teams make a substitution at the same time, this will count as one of the three opportunities for each team.
  • In a normal 90 minute fixture, once all three opportunities have been used, no further substitutions can be made.
  • Unused substitutions and opportunities are carried forward into extra time, where applicable.
  • Where Competition rules allow an additional substitution in extra time, teams will each have one additional substitution opportunity; substitutions may also be made before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.

WHO’S THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE…

Jarred Gillett will be the man in the middle at Deepdale on Wednesday.


Gillett, who is from Australia, has overseen 24 games during the 2019/20 season and produced a total of 84 yellow cards and two reds.

His last match in charge of Derby came on Boxing Day as Phillip Cocu's side claimed a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium, while he also oversaw the 0-0 draw at home to Swansea City back in August.

He will be assisted by Mark Dwyer and James Mainwaring on the lines, whilst Anthony Backhouse has been appointed as the fourth official.

NEW BACK OF SHIRT LOGO…

Derby County are to pay tribute to key workers across Derbyshire in the remaining matches of the 2019/20 Sky Bet Championship season.


The back of the Rams’ shirts will proudly display the logo of Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, and the shirts will be auctioned off at the end of the season to help raise funds for the charity.

Derby County’s Chief Executive Officer Stephen Pearce said: “We’re delighted to be showcasing the Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity logo on the back of our match shirts for the rest of the season.

“In addition to our Stay Safe. Stay Fit. Stay Connected initiative, we wanted to find another way to express gratitude and appreciation to key workers across our local community for the outstanding work that they have done, and continue to do, during the COVID-19 crisis, and help raise awareness and funds for the charity.”

Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity provide support for all the sites of the sites under the University of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, including Derby, Burton, Lichfield and Tamworth to provide the highest quality care to patients across southern Derbyshire and south east Staffordshire.


The NHS Trust aims to deliver outstanding care for local people and bring together the expertise of their 12,000 staff across the hospital sites.

The charity’s key aim is to help make patients’ lives better and the amazing donations and support from the local community enables the charity to help provide the extras that cannot be provided from NHS statutory funding but make a huge difference to patients and staff.

Tim Diggle, Director of Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, said: “It was amazing to hear that Derby County wanted to feature us on their shirts and we are immensely proud to see our logo on the back of such a beloved part of the Derby community.

"It is inspiring to see, and we are so grateful to the club for wanting to say thank you to our fantastic NHS team.

"All of us have been touched by this pandemic in one way or another and to see the club work together with its local NHS lifts the heart.”

All the money raised goes back into the hospital, with 100% of the donation going to the charity, and those supporting Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity have the opportunity to truly support a ward or department close to their heart, as they have over 100 separate funds to choose from.

More details about Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity (Charity No.1061812) can be found at dbhc.org.uk.

THANK YOU TO THE NHS…

Players from across the Championship will wear shirts featuring an ‘NHS Rainbow – Thank You’ emblem for the rest of the season.


Over the past three months, the EFL, its clubs and Club Community Organisations have paid their own special tributes, with many working closely alongside their local NHS Trusts, donating resources, providing facilities for use and organising player or manager content to say thank you.

TEMPORARY RULE CHANGES…

Some temporary rule changes and protocols will be in place for the remainder of the 2019/20 season across all EFL matches.


They include:

Walkout Protocol

  • Players and Match Official entry will be staggered onto the pitch.
  • There will be no handshakes. Players to take up on pitch positions in the same half as they warmed up ready for kick off.

Matchday Behaviour

  • Social distancing measures should be maintained whenever possible including during goal celebrations, in the warm-up, when entering and leaving the pitch, and at all times with the Match Officials.

Technical Area

  • Those in the technical area must behave in a responsible manner and maintain social distancing measures with the Fourth Official

STAY AT HOME…

Derby County has joined fellow EFL clubs in urging supporters to stay away from stadiums, and instead watch all remaining 2019/20 season matches from home.


All matches will be played behind closed doors between now and the end of the season with the safety of supporters, club personnel and the frontline services remaining the principle priority at this time.

Consequently, supporters will not be permitted entry to any area of the stadiums and extra security measures around the immediate area including car parks will be in place when staging matches.

Supporters are also urged to maintain social distancing guidelines and avoid congregating outside stadiums or gatherings to watch matches, as part of a new campaign message: ‘When we play, please stay away’ ahead of all EFL matches.

The club and the Derbyshire Constabulary are united in one message to fans - support the Rams by watching from home.