Goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell joined Derby County ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Bringing a wealth of experience to Pride Park Stadium, with more than 400 appearances EFL appearances to his name, the veteran shot-stopper arrived as third choice but more than made his mark in the second half of the campaign.

His debut came in dramatic fashion, called into the starting XI ten minutes before kick-off away at Charlton Athletic in January 2026 after Jacob Widell Zetterström withdrew in the warm-up.

O'Donnell helped the side to a 2-1 win before keeping his first Derby clean sheet 10 days later in the 5-0 thumping of Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

With injury and illness ruling out both Zetterström and Josh Vickers, he featured a further six times in the second half of the season, helping the Rams to three more wins, earning a shutout in each. Such form secured him a contract extension through to the end of the 2026/27 campaign.

O’Donnell started out in senior football with boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday in the 2006/07 season. He made 20 outings for the Owls and had loan moves to Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic, Grimsby Town and Macclesfield Town over the next six seasons.

He made his first permanent transfer to Chesterfield in the summer of 2012 and was loaned out to Stockport County in the Conference (now the National League).

After just a season on the books with the Spireites, O’Donnell made the switch to Walsall ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.

He experienced his most consistent run of his career thus far, becoming a League One starter for the Saddlers. The shot-stopper racked up 105 appearances and 33 clean sheets in all competitions over two seasons with the West Midlands club, and he was named as their Player of the Year in 2014/15.

Wigan Athletic came next, joining in May 2015; however, first-team opportunities were limited with the Latics, and an initial loan to Bristol City became permanent in February 2016.

O’Donnell featured 29 times in the second tier for the Robins before Rotherham United came calling a year later. After coming in as a January acquisition, he made 17 appearances in the Championship and then 10 in League One in the subsequent campaign.

A move to Northampton Town in January 2018, where he made 19 appearances, lasted only five months as Bradford City snapped up the goal-tender ahead of the 2018/19 season.

The West Yorkshire club provided a stable base for O’Donnell, who remained with the Bantams for the next four years and made 137 appearances across League One and League Two, the most for any club in his career.

Single-season stints at Rochdale and Blackpool followed his time with Bradford before O’Donnell made the switch to the Rams in the summer of 2025.