Derby County’s 2023/24 season provided games, memories and moments to last a lifetime after Paul Warne’s side sealed automatic promotion from Sky Bet League One.
Derby made their return to the Championship on the final day of the campaign at the end of April with a 2-0 home win over Carlisle United at a packed Pride Park Stadium.
It was a season with many key moments and the Rams set two club records along the way by recording their highest-ever points return and an impressive 13 away wins.
To celebrate the success Warne’s players enjoyed on the pitch, we’ve taken a look back at some defining matches on the pitch that helped to shape Derby’s first automatic promotion since 1996.
Here’s our six selected matches:
Derby County 4-0 Northampton Town
31st October 2023
Derby went into the midweek fixture against the Cobblers under the floodlights at Pride Park looking to kick-start their promotion challenge after finding back-to-back wins difficult to come by early in the campaign.
They got the three points with a polished display and were three goals to the good by the break with midfielder Max Bird notching a brace and striker Conor Washington sliding home a fine solo effort.
Forward Nathaniel Mendez-Laing added a fourth after the break to round off the scoring in front of the jubilant South Stand.
That win was Derby’s first of five in a row in League One and they went on to enjoy a run of eight wins and a draw in nine matches to see out 2023 and place them firmly in the promotion race.
Oxford United 2-3 Derby County
29th December 2023
A Christmas cracker saw Derby conclude 2023 in style as they stormed back from two goals down early on claim all three points at fellow top six rivals Oxford United.
It looked like it was going to be a long night for Derby as Cameron Brannagan scored twice inside the opening 13 minutes, first from the penalty spot and then direct from a free-kick.
Derby got a goal back on the stroke of half-time through defender Craig Forsyth at the far post and that set the Rams up for a superb second half showing at the Kassam Stadium.
Substitute Liam Thompson nodded home the equaliser with nine minutes left before defender Eiran Cashin swept home the winner as the clock ran down to see Derby land a hugely impressive win on their travels against a side also vying for promotion.
Derby County 1-0 Stevenage
17th February 2024
By the time Derby hosted Stevenage at Pride Park in February they had established themselves in the top two, but they faced a striker crisis at the time.
James Collins’ knee injury, sustained a few days earlier in the 3-0 victory at Exeter City, meant he was on the sidelines alongside fellow attackers Conor Washington, Martyn Waghorn and Tyreece John-Jules.
That meant Paul Warne had to name a starting line-up without a recognised striker against Stevenage, a side that inflicted a 3-1 defeat on the Rams when they met earlier in the season and the only time in the league Derby lost a game by more than a single goal.
It proved to be a tough afternoon as the Rams struggled to break down the visitors until the dying seconds when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing delivered a low cross for substitute Louie Sibley to divert into the back of the net, a perfect reward for the Derby faithful that stuck with the side when they needed them most.
Bristol Rovers 0-3 Derby County
9th March 2024
Derby made the trip to the Memorial Stadium to face Bristol Rovers in early March looking to build up some more momentum after putting the rarity of back-to-back league losses behind them with a 3-0 success over Port Vale at Pride Park a week beforehand.
After a goalless first half, Derby tore into the hosts after the break to claim all three points while rivals Bolton Wanderers dropped points at Exeter City.
Dwight Gayle bundled in the opener from close range just after half-time and Tom Barkhuizen hammered home a clinical second a few minutes later after Derby hit the hosts on the counterattack as confidence oozed through the side.
Substitute Martyn Waghorn added a third late on to round off a successful afternoon as Paul Warne’s side struck another blow in the promotion race and also equalled a club record for away wins in a season.
Derby County 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
16th March 2024
As the battle for a top two berth gathered serious pace, Derby and Bolton went head-to-head at a packed-out Pride Park in mid-March.
Derby were victorious in their previous three outings and had the Trotters breathing down their necks as the fixtures began to tick down, so it was always going to be a pivotal fixture in the promotion race.
Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith stepped up to the plate when required in the first half, making himself big to make an outstanding stop to keep out striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s header.
Despite being under heavy pressure, and losing a number of players to injury, Derby remained strong and resilient and eventually grabbed the only goal of the game with 12 minutes left when Kane Wilson headed home Callum Elder’s corner to put the Rams in the driving seat.
Derby County 2-0 Carlisle United
27th April 2024
Derby went into the final day showdown at an expectant Pride Park knowing they just needed to avoid defeat against already relegated Carlisle United to seal automatic promotion back to the second tier.
If there were any nerves going into the contest on and off the field, midfielder Max Bird settled them within five minutes a thunderbolt of a long-range strike on his 200th and final match in a Rams shirt ahead of linking up with Bristol City in the summer.
Striker James Collins lashed in his 19th goal of the season to double advantage and seal the victory and promotion, two years on from the club’s future hanging in the balance before Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd rescued it from administration.
The final whistle was greeted with joyous scenes as supporters poured onto the pitch to celebrate with the players and a trophy presentation, made by owner David Clowes to skipper Conor Hourihane, brought the curtain down on a memorable and successful campaign.
Do you have another standout game from the campaign or feel we’ve missed one? Let us know!
