3/1 To Win
Derby County will conclude their 2019/20 Sky Bet Championship season with an away fixture at Birmingham City on Wednesday evening (7:30pm kick-off).
Derby will be looking to end the campaign on a high note as they look to record a top-half finish at the end of Phillip Cocu's first full season in charge of the Rams.
Birmingham go into the game still not mathematically safe of their place in the Championship for next season, sitting two points above the drop zone, and a victory for the hosts would ease any relegation worries.
dcfc.co.uk has gathered all the information you will need to know ahead of Wednesday's game at St. Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium.
RAMSTV STREAMING INFORMATION…
Wednesday's game will be available to watch LIVE in the UK and around the world on RamsTV, via dcfc.co.uk or through the Official Derby County App.
Supporters can purchase access for Wednesday evening’s match NOW by clicking here.
Content will be available from earlier in the evening before the RamsTV Matchday Live show begins at 7pm to provide fans with comprehensive and unrivalled coverage.
Supporters watching on RamsTV 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 at 7pm.
Supporters who have redeemed their voucher code already do not need to do anything other than login to their account early ahead of kick-off. Any supporters who have not redeemed their voucher code can still do so but are advised to do this as soon as possible.
And fans who want to purchase RamsTV access for Wednesday night's game but are yet to register on dcfc.co.uk will need their 8-digit Fan ID, Name, Address, Postcode and a valid email address not already registered with an account, but are again 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…
Forward Tom Lawrence is to miss Derby's final fixture of the 2019/20 season after injuring his shoulder in the early stages of the 3-1 home defeat to champions Leeds United on Sunday.
Manager Phillip Cocu says the Welshman will be out of action for a few weeks, which means he should be fit for when pre-season starts ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Striker Jack Marriott made his comeback from groin surgery in the closing stages of Derby's's recent matches against Cardiff City and Leeds United and he is expected to be amongst the substitutes once again.
Attacking midfielder Duane Holmes has missed Derby's last three matches with a hamstring issue, sustained against West Bromwich Albion earlier this month, and is unlikely to feature in Wednesday's game despite resuming training last week.
Defender Andre Wisdom will not be available after he was the victim of an unprovoked assault and robbery at the end of June. He sustained injuries which resulted in him being admitted to hospital and while he is at home, he is still recovering and therefore is unavailable. He is, however, beginning to step up his workload at the training ground.
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 is yet to resume full training.
PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS…
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of Wednesday's game, Derby boss Phillip Cocu said: “You’re never guaranteed about a win, but we
will give our absolute best in the last game.
"We owe it to ourselves but
also to our fans who are unable to come but to see the game on
television.
“As a player, you need to feel certain
pressure always, but within yourself you need to feel the ambition to
end the season with a good game of football and a good result.
“If we do not have that within ourselves, that would worry me. I am sure we will give a good performance.”
More pre-match comments from Cocu, and goalkeeper Kelle Roos, 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…
Tim Robinson will be the man in the middle on Wednesday evening.
The official oversaw Derby's 3-1 defeat at home to Brentford earlier this month, booking Rams midfielder Jason Knight in the game at Pride Park Stadium.
This will be his fifth Derby fixture of the season after overseeing the Rams’ 2-2 draw at Stoke City in August, 1-0 win over Preston North End in November and 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough in January, in addition to the game against Brentford.
Robinson will be assisted by Robert Merchant and Nik Barnard on the lines, whilst Oliver Langford 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.
