Sat 23 May - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 5mins
After Derby County’s 2025/26 season came to a close earlier this month, dcfc.co.uk looks back on the campaign.
Part Four of the season review begins in the New Year. John Eustace’s side entered 2026 14th in the table after 24 matches, and having picked up two points from their last three festive fixtures – covered in Part Three of the review.
A New Year’s Day tie on home soil saw high-flying Middlesbrough travel to Pride Park Stadium. A tough contest had the Rams and the team sitting in second place at a deadlock for 70 minutes in DE24.
Bobby Clark sent Pride Park into raptures with 20 minutes remaining, as a direct pass forward from Callum Elder made its way to the Red Bull Salzburg loanee, who chopped around the defenders in the box and slotted a low shot into the net from inside the penalty area.
Oscar Fraulo was welcomed into the building as the first addition of the winter transfer window, a day later. The 22-year-old Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder penned a three-year deal with the club.
Fraulo made his debut nine days later as the Rams were drawn against Premier League Leeds United on home soil in the Emirates FA Cup Third Round. He was also joined by Academy midfielder Owen Eames, who made his senior debut from the bench.
A competitive contest saw Ben Brereton Díaz fire Derby ahead in the 35th minute, but a second-half turnaround from Leeds, with goals from Willi Gnonto and Ao Tanaka getting them ahead before a James Justin strike in added time confirmed the top-flight side’s progression into the next round.
Brereton Díaz was on the scoresheet again at Pride Park against Wrexham three days later, but a sublime long-range goal from opposing midfielder Matt James early in the second half saw the Red Dragons take a 2-1 win.
With the transfer window still in full swing, Derby said their goodbyes to two promotion-winning heroes as vice-captain Ebou Adams left for Portsmouth and defender Curtis Nelson reunited with former boss Paul Warne at Milton Keynes Dons – two integral parts of the club’s recent journey departing with the best wishes of everyone associated with Derby.
Wins on the road continued to be a theme into the new year, and January’s awaydays certainly delivered. Patrick Agyemang’s goal was enough to claim maximum points in Preston, before a night under the floodlights against Charlton Athletic ended 2-1, with a Macauley Gillesphey own goal and a tidy strike from Clark on the hour mark at the Valley.
The contest in South-East London also saw goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell called into action for the first time, being called into the squad as a late change. As would become a familiar feeling when called upon in the late stages of the season, the veteran shot-stopper was unfazed, putting in a solid display between the sticks.
Home form was still something the Rams were aiming to improve coming into 2026. It seemed a win was in order against West Bromwich Albion on 23rd January, as Agyemang’s eighth goal of the campaign appeared to be enough to seal three points – but a Chris Mepham goal in the fifth minute of added time forced the points to be shared.
The Rams held their heads high, though, and more than made up for it in the last contest of January. Eustace’s side was bolstered by the loan acquisition of Burnley winger Jaydon Banel as the Rams headed to Ashton Gate on a Friday night – and Derby were truly unleashed. A sensational Sky Bet Championship display in the South West saw the Rams fire five past Bristol City.
The game was slow to get going, but Rhian Brewster livened it up when he gave Derby the lead from inside the penalty area in the 13th minute.
It was soon 2-0 as Brereton Díaz fired an effort underneath the diving Radek Vitek after Clark threaded him in space on the right. Clark then got in on the act after 37 minutes when he coolly finished in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
The dominance continued into the second period, where the Rams withstood pressure and made it four via the head of Patrick Agyemang in the 66th minute, before Lars-Jørgen Salvesen topped off proceedings in the 88th minute when he made it five.
The additions of Sam Szmodics and left-back Derry Murkin on deadline day gave further cause for optimism as the Rams’ building momentum appeared to be accelerating.
A 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town began February, but the Rams saw past Swansea City a week later as Brewster netted his third goal in as many games and Agyemang bagged his tenth of the campaign in a 2-0 win.
The end-of-season staging began to be set, as that win had Derby sixth place in the table after 32 matches – securely in the play-off fight with 12 matches remaining.
Away defeats to Watford and fellow play-off rivals Hull City dealt Derby a blow as Eustace’s side dropped to 11th - Szmodics claiming his first goal for the club on Humberside.
However, home form would come to see the play-off chase continue until the end of the campaign.
February finished with a notable fixture against Blackburn Rovers. The visitors took the lead at the end of the first half, but Brereton Díaz, Matt Clarke and Brewster all converted in the second period to complete an emphatic comeback win.
A win against the Lancashire outfit at Pride Park a year earlier proved to be Eustace’s first as Derby boss and began a run of form that secured Championship survival. A 3-1 win a year later showed the progress made, with Derby going from hoping to stay ahead in the 2024/25 relegation fight to knowing the victory could keep them in the promotion push in 2025/26…
