Pre-season Towards the end previous season, Derby began contract negotiations with players approaching the end of their contracts.
Jake Buxton and
Gareth Roberts signed new contract to the length of two years and one year respectively. The club also entered into contract talks with
Paul Green, whose contract expired at the end of the season and who had attracted interest from
Leeds United, among others. The club gave Green until April 2012 to respond. Green rejected Derby's contract offer on 20 April and left the club in the summer. Rams coach
Johnny Metgod stated that the club were also in contract talks with
Jamie Ward whose contract ended in the summer of 2013. Ward signed a new two-year contract, with an option for a further year which will extend his stay at Derby until at least the summer of 2014.
Lee Croft and
Miles Addison, both with one year left on their contract, were told that they were free to leave the club in the summer. Defender and captain
Shaun Barker, who was injured in a 1–0 win against
Nottingham Forest in March 2012 is set to miss the season due to injuries to his
medial,
anterior cruciate and
posterior cruciate ligaments. Barker remains optimistic for a full recovery. In April 2012 the club finally ended their interest in appointing a
director of football, something the club had been considering since May 2011. This meant Derby manager
Nigel Clough retained control of the club's player recruitment policy and he was keen to add to his squad, stating a desire to sign a striker and younger left back to cover for
Gareth Roberts. Derby said that they expected season ticket sales to be at 15,000 by the end of the early bird deadline on 15 April, down by 2,500 on total season ticket sales compared to 2011–12, CEO Tom Glick was happy with the figures and predicted total season ticket sales to be similar to the previous season. Season ticket prices had increased for the first time in seven seasons. The club also announced the scoreboard in the stadium would be replaced by a large screen television, which would help improve advertising revenues and show action replays of key moments in the game as well as scores from other games. On 29 May 2012, it was announced that Derby's Chief Executive Tom Glick was leaving the club to take up a Chief Commercial and Operating Officer role at
Premier League champions
Manchester City. Glick remained in his role at Derby during pre-season. Following the completion of the 2011–12 season, Derby announced their retained list for the 2012–13 campaign. Goalkeeper
James Severn, defender Chris Jones and midfielders Aaron Cole and
Ryan Connolly were all told that their contracts would not be renewed and joined Paul Green in leaving the club. Goalkeepers
Ross Atkins and
Saul Deeney had one-year contract options activated, whilst out of contract pair
Conor Doyle and Alex Witham were also retained by the club. Addison attracted the interest of former loan club
Bournemouth and several Championship clubs, later joining Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee. Davies, joint top scorer in 2011–12, was transfer listed due to turning down a three-year contract offer due to "family reasons", a decision which Nigel Clough fully respected. Newly promoted Championship club
Sheffield Wednesday had two bids for Maguire rejected in May before a third offer in June was accepted and Maguire joined Wednesday for an undisclosed fee. Midfielder
Lee Croft joined
League One side
Oldham Athletic until the end of the season. Derby were linked to several players in the media, including
West Bromwich Albion striker
Simon Cox and
Northampton Town winger
Michael Jacobs. Derby offered Jacobs a contract, which was accepted. As Jacobs was under 24, Northampton were entitled to compensation, either agreed by the two clubs or set by a tribunal. Derby and Northampton agreed an undisclosed fee for the out-of-contract player and Jacobs joined Derby on a three-year contract. The club also were rumoured to be interested in
Sheffield United right-back
Matthew Lowton although the club denied interest in Lowton, who later joined
Aston Villa.
Wigan Athletic striker
Conor Sammon, who the club had missed out on in January 2011, was also a target for the club. Derby also turned down two bids in excess of £1 million in June for defender
Jason Shackell, both believed to be from
Burnley and two more bids from further Championship clubs, with one thought to be
Cardiff City. However the club later accepted a bid for Shackell from
Burnley of £1.1 million and he transferred to Burnley, signing a four-year contract with the
Clarets. Attention immediately turned to who Derby would sign as a replacement, with out-of-contract Nottingham Forest defender
Joel Lynch the first target. The club spoke to Lynch but denied rumours that he had undergone a medical with them and he opted to sign for
Huddersfield Town instead.
Coventry City centre-half
Richard Keogh, already attracting from Leeds United and bids from
Bristol City and Cardiff City, which were rejected, was the next defender the club was linked to, Keogh later joined the club on a three-year contract, with striker
Callum Ball loaned out to Coventry for the season. Nigel Clough said that although Derby may be outbid for players, they would be able to offer "the chance to be a part of what we think is a very exciting young side". At the same time, the club announced that eighteen-year-old former
Bolton Wanderers winger
James Caton had begun training with them. Leeds United left-back
Aidan White, out-of-contract
Dundee United centre-half
Garry Kenneth, Cardiff City centre-half
Anthony Gerrard and
Sunderland centre-half
John Egan. Derby offered out-of-contract
Crewe Alexandra left-back
Kelvin Mellor a three-year contract after Crewe only offered the player a one-year deal, but after extensive talks with Derby Mellor turned down Derby's offer after Crewe offered the player a two-year contract which he signed in July.
Paul Coutts. and the Scot joined the club on a three-year contract for a reported fee of £150,000.
Ross Atkins rejoined
Burton Albion on loan, after spending the previous season at the League Two club. The club's first pre-season friendly was a 2–1 defeat to
Mansfield Town. Trialists
James Caton and Swiss centre-half
Valentin Gjokaj both featured for the club.
August Versatile
Doncaster Rovers defender
James O'Connor joined the club for an undisclosed fee at the start of the month. Under the
Premier League's controversial
Elite Player Performance Plan, Derby County applied for a tier 2 academy, which meant they were entered into the
Professional Development League 2 – North, which replaced the
Premier Academy League and
Premier Reserve League, as a result Derby withdrew their entry of a reserve team in
the Central League, with manager Nigel Clough saying ''"We've had a great few years in the Reserve League, winning it twice, but our resources cannot stretch to fielding a First Team, Reserve Team, Under 21 Team and an Under 18 team at this moment – especially with games falling so close to each other."'' The club will stay play reserve games in
behind closed doors friendlies. American attacking midfielder
Danny Barrera the club on trial and featured in the reserve pre-season friendly against
Belper Town. Finnish
Cesena striker,
Roope Riski joined the club on trial ahead of the last first team pre-season against
Chesterfield, the game also saw
Steve Davies, made his first appearance after talks broke down on a move to
Ipswich Town, scoring in a 3–1 loss. A fee of £1.2 million was reported to have been agreed Derby and
Wigan Athletic over the transfer of
Conor Sammon. Derby started the competitive season in a
League Cup against
Scunthorpe United new signings
Paul Coutts,
Michael Jacobs and
Richard Keogh all made their debuts and Keogh opened the scoring on the 30th minute after Jacobs corner,
Jake Buxton scored a second goal from a Jacobs corner in the 34th minute,
Theo Robinson scored on the 3rd on the 40th minute from another Jacobs corner. In the second half
Andy Barcham pulled a goal back for Scunthorpe, Buxton got his second of the night a minute later from a Jacobs free-kick, before
Mike Grella scored a second for Scunthorpe in the 63rd minute, Robinson had a 72nd-minute penalty saved by
Sam Slocombe and
Bobby Grant brought Derby's lead down to 4–3 a minute later,
Nathan Tyson got his first Derby goal on the 83rd minute against assisted by Jacobs,
Connor Jennings made it 4 in stoppage time and Grant from the penalty spot made it 5–5 to take the game into extra time. No goals were scored in the 30 minute extra time period and the game want to a penalty shoot-out, Scunthorpe won the game 7–6 on penalties with
Tom Naylor missing the deciding penalty. The final friendly of the season saw a Derby XI that included trialists Gjokaj, Barrera, Riski and
Livingston striker
Marc McNulty beat Matlock Town 2–1. Ahead of the club's first league fixture of the season Swiss defender
Valentin Gjokaj signed a two-year deal, with an option of a third. Derby drew the game 2–2 with first half goals from
Nathan Tyson (first league goal for Derby) and
Jake Buxton and
Chris O'Grady for Wednesday,
Réda Johnson equalized is stoppage time. After the game it was reported that
Bristol City had agreed a transfer fee for wantaway striker
Steve Davies and
Huddersfield Town were interested in signing
Nathan Tyson on loan. and
Steve Davies left for
Bristol City. Sammon made his debut in the following game at
Bolton Wanderers, with
James O'Connor making his first start for the club, Derby had a goal disallowed early in the second half before
Kevin Davies scored in the 77th minute and
Chris Eagles scored as stoppage time as Bolton won 2–0, this result left Derby in the relegation zone after 2 games.
Welsh under-21 international
Kieron Freeman from local rivals
Nottingham Forest for an undisclosed fee.
Theo Robinson was reprimanded after he broke club rules by posting on Twitter that he had been dropped from the squad before the team was announced. Derby's last league game for the month ended in a 1–1 draw at
Wolverhampton Wanderers,
Kevin Doyle scored in the first half for the home team, with Robinson equalising for the Rams in stoppage time. On transfer deadline day, young forward Kane Richards joined
Matlock Town on loan.
September Derby started the month with a 5–1 win against
Watford, with first half goals from
Richard Keogh,
Jeff Hendrick and
Conor Sammon his first for the club. In the second half
Will Hughes scored his first goal for the senior team before
Jamie Ward made it five
Matej Vydra scored a consolation goal for the visitors. Young midfielder Alex Witham was released by the club, after he was allowed to train at an unnamed
League One club. Injured defender
Shaun Barker signed a one-year contract extension with his new contract running out in the summer of 2015. Polish youth international Stefan Galnski joined
Corby Town on a months loan. 18-year-old New Zealand defender
Luke Adams joined the club on a one-year contract. After an international break, Derby returned to league action at
Huddersfield Town, with
Daniel Ward scoring the only goal in the first half for the hosts in the first minute, there were no further goals in the game as Derby lost 1–0. Sam Rush was named as Tom Glick's replacement as the club's CEO on 17 September, Rush departed from his role at the
Wasserman Media Group and joined Derby on 1 January. A day later, Derby played
Charlton Athletic at home with
Jamie Ward opening the scoring form 25-yards,
Craig Bryson made it 2–0 after 53 minutes, Ward scored a 64th-minute penalty,
Danny Green and
Yann Kermorgant scored in the 70th and 72nd minutes respectively for the visitors as the game finished 3–2 to Derby. Four days later, Derby played
Burnley at home with
Jamie Ward and
Charlie Austin scoring in the first half, Austin scored a winning goal for Burnley in the 89th minute. Out of favour midfielder
James Bailey joined
Coventry City on loan for three months. Stefan Galinski's loan at Corby Town was extended until 9 December, whilst Kane Richards loan at
Matlock Town was extended to 3 November. Derby ended the month, playing in the
East Midlands derby game at the
City Ground against
Nottingham Forest, after a scrappy first half, Forest striker
Dexter Blackstock was sent off on the 46th minute for an elbow on
Richard Keogh and 9 minutes later
Craig Bryson scored the winning goal for Derby which earned Derby's first clean sheet and away win for the season, Derby also rose to 12th in the table from 20th.
October Top scorer
Jamie Ward was out for ruled four weeks after picking up a Grade One hamstring injury in the Forest match. Derby started October's action with a mid-week trip to
Middlesbrough;
Theo Robinson opened the score for the Rams with a 16th-minute penalty, before
Lukas Jutkiewicz equalised 3 minutes later after a
Frank Fielding error, Jutkiewicz scored a second on 81 minutes,
Paul Coutts scored his first goal for the club equalising in the 87th minute. This game was followed by a home match against
Brighton & Hove Albion, which finished goalless as Derby remained in 13th ahead of the international break. 15-year-old Irish youth international defender Jack Tuite joined the club from
Cherry Orchard, after trial at Moor Farm.
Will Hughes signed a new contract, committing his future to the club until the summer of 2015. Derby returned from the international break to a home match against managerless
Blackburn Rovers, Derby drew 1–1 to a 34th minute
Jordan Rhodes goal and an 88th-minute equaliser for Theo Robinson. Three days later they were in action at
Ipswich Town, and goals from
DJ Campbell and Theo Robinson in the first half ensured the scores were equal at 1–1 after the end of the first half, before Nathan Tyson score a late winner for Derby in stoppage time. Derby ended the month at
Peterborough United and lost 3–0 with goals from
Michael Bostwick and a late double for Saido Berahino after
Jake Buxton was sent off for a second bookable offence
Adam Legzdins also saved a
Lee Tomlin penalty at 0–1.
November Derby signed 16-year-old
Scunthorpe United striker
Charles Vernam for an undisclosed fee. Derby began league action in November against managerless
Blackpool, after
Ian Holloway left for
Crystal Palace on the day of the match, Derby won the game 4–1 with first half goals from
Theo Robinson and
John Brayford with his first goal in over two years,
Tom Ince scored early on in the second half for the visitors through a penalty, before Robinson get his second shortly after and
Conor Sammon scored his first goal in two months to close the scoring. Three days later, Derby secured their first back-to-back victories in 24 league matches, after beating
Barnsley 2–0 with second half goals from
James O'Connor (his first for the club) and
Nathan Tyson in the last minute of regulation time. Derby were unchanged for the second consecutive game at
Millwall, however they trailed at half time after a 33rd-minute goal from
Liam Feeney, before
Will Hughes equalized 8 minutes into the second half, however
Andrew Keogh got the winner for the hosts on 76 minutes. Hughes was called up for the
England U21 squad and became the second youngest player in the side history. After his callup, Hughes was linked with moves to
Arsenal,
Liverpool and
Manchester City, as
Nigel Clough was reportedly under-pressure to raise £1.8 million in the January 2013 transfer window with Derby setting an asking price of £4 million for the 17-year-old. Right back
John Brayford also was linked with a move to a Premier League outfit, in this case
West Ham United.
Nigel Clough denied this speculation and said there was no need to sell any players, however he wasn't surprised at the interest that was shown for both players. Out-of favour defender
Tom Naylor joined
Football League Two side
Bradford City on loan from two months. Derby returned to league action on 17 November at table toppers
Crystal Palace, Derby lost consecutive league games for the first time for the season with goals two goals from
Glenn Murray and a single effort from
André Moritz. Further speculation surrounded Hughes as Spanish giants
FC Barcelona were also reported to have an interest in Hughes, after scouts from the Catalan club "compiled a detailed dossier" on Hughes when he appeared for
England U17 in the Algarve Tournament in February 2012. Young Swiss defender
Valentin Gjokaj joined
League One outfit
Carlisle United on loan for six weeks. Derby won their third consecutive match at home with a 3–2 win at
Birmingham City, Derby dominated the first half however only scored once in the half through
Conor Sammon, the second half was more equal with
Marlon King scoring a penalty for the hosts with 17 minutes to then, Sammon netted again to regain the lead for Derby, before
Peter Løvenkrands got a winner two minutes,
Nathan Tyson score the winner a further two minutes later. Derby ended the month with a match at home to leaders
Cardiff City, with the visitors taking the lead after 11 minutes through
Heidar Helguson, a lead which Cardiff held until half-time, however
Craig Noone was sent off for the hosts after 63 minutes for a second bookable offence,
Theo Robinson equalised with his 8th goal of the season with 21 minutes to go, Derby pushed for a winner but the scores stayed 1–1, with Derby 12th in the table, 5 points behind the play-off places and 12 above the relegation zone.
December Derby started the final month of 2012, with a 4–1 defeat at local rivals
Leicester City, after goals from
Zak Whitbread,
Martyn Waghorn and
Dave Nugent twice,
Theo Robinson scored for the Rams to make it 2–1 before half time. This was Derby's fourth away defeat in four games. A week later, Derby took on
Leeds United, with the Rams taking the lead through Sammon on 15 minutes, the visitor equalised on the stroke of half time through former Ram
Paul Green, before
Jake Buxton scored to make it 2–1 on 66 minutes, late substitute
Ben Davies made sure the win was secured in stoppage time as Derby 3–1, the club's eighth win in a row against the Yorkshire club. Derby ended a run of four away defeats in a row with a 2–0 victory at
Bristol City after two first half goals from
Jeff Hendrick on 34 minutes and
Craig Bryson on 36.
Valentin Gjokaj's loan
Carlisle United was cut short by two weeks after he was recalled by Derby, the Swiss defender only made on appearance in the FA Cup for
The Cumbrians. Derby were targeting three wins a row for the first time during the season in a Friday night home match against
Hull City, however the Rams fall behind on 25 minutes through a
Robert Koren goal before
Michael Jacobs scored his first goal for Derby to equalise in first half stoppage time,
Abdoulaye Faye scored 5 minutes into the second half to give the visitors the lead for the second time. This result was only the second home defeat during the season for The Rams. Derby went to
Burnley on Boxing Day and lost 2–0 with a first half goal from
Charlie Austin and second half effort from
Michael Duff. Derby ended the calendar year with a 1–1 draw at
Charlton Athletic, with hosts taking the lead after
Danny Haynes scoring after 19 minutes, Charlton held this lead until the 72nd minute when
Jamie Ward scored from the penalty spot on his return after a three-month absence, Ward's goal came from the penalty spot after
Michael Morrison was sent off for a foul on
Richard Keogh which led to a second booking, Ward only lasted 15 minutes on his first team return as he was replaced after 83 minutes. This result left Derby 11th in the table, 6 points off the play-off places.
January The transfer window started with
James Bailey re-joining
Coventry City on loan for the remainder of the season. Derby played their first league game of 2013 on New Year's Day at home to 3rd placed
Middlesbrough; a game which the Rams won 3–1 with first half goals from
Michael Jacobs and
Jeff Hendrick and
Conor Sammon in the second half,
Lukas Jutkiewicz got a late consolation goal for the visitors. As a Championship club, Derby started their FA Campaign against
League One leaders
Tranmere Rovers, with Derby taking the lead through
Ben Davies after 42 minutes,
Conor Sammon got his 7th goal of the season in the second after 54 minutes,
John Brayford got a third for Derby on 63 minutes,
Jeff Hendrick made it four on 72 minutes, before 16 year old
Mason Bennett got his first goal for the club on 87 which closed to scoring with Derby 5–0 up, this goal also ensured he became the youngest goal scorer in the club's history. Nineteen-year-old Polish youth international defender and striker Kane Richards were both released from the club without making a first team appearance. Derby then went to
Brighton & Hove Albion and were 2–0 at half through a 2nd-minute goal from
Ashley Barnes and from
Andrea Orlandi after 25,
Jeff Hendrick pulled one back after 70 minutes to score his third goal in the three Derby's, but Derby couldn't force an equaliser and fell to their 10th defeat of the season, 8 of these away from home. Goalkeeper
Ross Atkins was recalled by Derby after he fell down to third choice at his loan club;
Burton Albion.
Tom Naylor's loan at
Bradford City was extended by a month however. and out of favour striker
Nathan Tyson joined fellow Championship club
Millwall until the end of the season. Derby returned to league action in the
East Midlands derby game at home to
Forest, with Forest taking lead after 31 minutes through
Chris Cohen,
Jamie Ward equalised after 52 minutes. Derby ended their January fixtures with a FA Cup fourth round tie at home to
Blackburn Rovers, with Rams falling behind after 44 minutes with a
Colin Kazim-Richards strike,
Scott Dann got a second on 66,
Jordan Rhodes made it 0–3 on 71. In the league, Derby finished the month 13th in the table, 9 points behind the play-offs and 10 ahead of relegation. Transfer deadline day was a quiet one for Derby, with only one departure,
Lee Croft who was on loan at
Oldham Athletic had his contract terminated.
February Derby began their February programme with a home fixture to managerless
Huddersfield Town, a game which Derby won 3–0 with first half goals from
Craig Bryson and
Jamie Ward, with
Richard Keogh netting the third early in the second half. A week later Derby were on the road against
Sheffield Wednesday and with Derby taking a two-goal lead with goals from Hendrick and a
Jamie Ward penalty, the hosts pulled a got back level through
Leroy Lita and
Miguel Llera. Three days later, Derby were back in league action in Yorkshire at
Hull City a game which Derby lost 2–1 through a debut goal from
Mohamed Nagy, Jamie Ward scored his fourth goal in four games on 84, before
Ahmed Elmohamady got the winner three minutes later,
Gareth Roberts on his 100th Derby appearance was sent off for serious foul play on 89 minutes, this was also the second red card for a Derby player during the season.
Michael Hoganson was given his first senior start after Roberts three game ban and played apart in the defence which kept a clean sheet as the game with
Wolverhampton Wanderers finished 0–0, Derby's first goalless result since 6 October. Derby drew at home again three days later, against
Bolton Wanderers, Derby fell behind in first half stoppage time through a goal from
Richard Keogh, before
Jamie Ward got his 10th goal of the season 9 minutes before full-time to secure a 1–1 draw.
Theo Robinson who lost his place in the starting 11 to
Conor Sammon and
Jamie Ward joined fellow Championship side
Huddersfield Town on a loan until the end of the season.
Norwich City striker
Chris Martin joined Derby on an initial months loan, becoming Derby's first loan signing of the season. After his return from Bradford,
Tom Naylor was made available for loan and it was reported that he turned down a move to
Grimsby Town. Grismby joint manager
Paul Hurst stated that Naylor was set to join another Conference National side. Derby ended their fixtures in February with a 2–1 defeat at
Watford, through goals from
Matej Vydra on 35 minutes and
Joel Ekstrand on 68,
Jamie Ward scored a penalty for the Rams on 73 minutes.
March Derby started March with a Friday night fixture at home to
Crystal Palace, Derby lost 1–0 through a 13-minute
Yannick Bolasie goal,
Conor Sammon had 87 minute penalty saved by Palace keeper
Julián Speroni. Top scorer
Jamie Ward suffered a re-occurrence of his hamstring injury in this game and as a response, Derby brought in
Watford winger
Craig Forsyth on a months loan ahead of Derby's trip at table toppers
Cardiff City. In the first half, Derby had a handball penalty appeal turned down and had a
Chris Martin goal disallowed for offside, Derby took the lead on 75 minutes through
Conor Sammon with his first goal in English football away from home before,
Craig Noone equalised on 82 to leave Derby winless in seven. Derby then took in
Birmingham City looking for a win at
St Andrew's for only the second time in twenty-five matches, through a 40th minute
Ben Davies goal, before
Wes Thomas equalised for the hosts on 67,
Nathan Redmond gave the hosts the lead on 75 before Redmond secured to 3–1 win for Birmingham in stoppage time. A week later, Derby took on local rivals at
Leicester City at home hoping to end an 8-game run without a win and led 2–0 at half time through
Richard Keogh on 16 minutes and
Chris Martin with his first for the club on 44. In the second half Leicester opened their account through
Jeff Schlupp on 62 minutes, but Derby held on to win 2–1. After this, the club extended Martin's loan until the end of the season. Derby ended the month with an Easter Friday meeting at home with bottom of the table
Bristol City,
Jamie Ward had a 3rd-minute penalty saved by
Tom Heaton,
Jeff Hendrick opened the scoring with his tenth goal for the club and his seventh of the season on 36 minutes, Ward made it 2–0 in the second half on 54 minutes, substitute
Ben Davies got his third goal of the league season in stoppage to ensure a 3–0 win for Derby. This result ensured back-to-back league wins for the first time since mid-December.
April Derby started April, with an Easter Monday evening kick off at
Leeds United aiming for a ninth consecutive win against the Yorkshire and season record of three league wins in succession. The first half was fairly event-less and petered out into a 0–0 draw. In the second half, Derby had a
Conor Sammon goal ruled offside, before
Ross McCormack scored the opening goal for Leeds on 67 minutes, however on 73 minutes Derby won a penalty which Sammon took; however he hit the post but
Paul Coutts got his second goal for Derby in the rebound, Derby then pushed for a winner which
Jake Buxton got on 88 minutes; to ensure a 2–1 win for Derby. This result moved Derby up to eighth in the table, six points off the play-offs and virtually ensured another season in the Championship at the minimum. Leeds manager
Neil Warnock resigned shortly after the match. The following Saturday, Derby welcomed
Ipswich Town at Pride Park and in the 44th minute missed their fourth consecutive penalty, their third in three games as Jamie Ward's effort was saved by
Scott Loach, Derby were made to pay for the penalty miss when
Carlos Edwards scored a winner for the visitors in stoppage time. Defender
Jake Buxton signed a new two-year contract before Derby went to relegation threatened
Blackburn Rovers, with Rovers leading 2–0 at half time through a
Jordan Rhodes penalty and a
Scott Dann in stoppage time, there were no further goals in the second half. Three days later Derby returned to league action with an away match at
Barnsley another team under threat from relegation, Derby drew the game 1–1 after falling behind through a
Chris O'Grady goal on 47th, Derby's equaliser came in stoppage time through
Paul Coutts.
Will Hughes said a years extension to his contract and returned to the matchday squad for Derby's penultimate home game of the season against
Peterborough United, Derby lead three nil after 52 minutes with goals from
Craig Bryson,
Chris Martin and
Richard Keogh however the visitors were allowed back into the match after
Frank Fielding was sent off for a professional foul on 62 minutes,
Chris McCann converted the penalty but Derby held on to win 3–1. Derby concluded their away fixtures with a tie at fellow midtable side
Blackpool winning 1–0 at half-time through
Gary Taylor-Fletcher,
Tom Ince also missed a penalty for the hosts in the first half, substitute
Ben Davies made it 1–1 on 65 minutes before
Ludovic Sylvestre got a late winner for the hosts as Derby lost their 12th away game in 23 games. After this game, loan left-back
Craig Forsyth was re-called by promotion chasing
Watford whilst the club offered a one-year contract to
Ben Davies.
May It was announced on 2 May that left-back Gareth Roberts would be released, having spent three years with
The Rams. As the season drew to a close, the club were linked with a number of players, including
Birmingham City winger
Chris Burke,
Blackpool defender
Alex Baptiste, former loanee Craig Forsyth, the on-loan
Chris Martin,
Norwich City striker
James Vaughan and former Derby goalkeeper
Lee Grant. Ever-present defender
Richard Keogh won the
Jack Stamps, Club, and Supporters Player of the Year awards.
Will Hughes won the Sammy Crooks Young Player of the Year, ==End of season squad==