Derby County 2015/16 Season
League Position: 5th (2014/15: 8th)
Average league attendance: 29,663 (2014/15: 29,231)
Top league goalscorer: Chris Martin (15)
Derby's eight year wait for a return to the top flight of English football goes on after The Rams lost out in the Play-Off Semi-Final to Hull City at the end of another turbulent season at the iPro Stadium.
The Rams prized highly rated coach Paul Clement away from Real Madrid last summer to take over in the East Midlands after Steve McClaren departed for Newcastle United. Clement bolstered his squad in the summer with the additions of Tom Ince [Hull City], Jason Shackell [Burnley], Jacob Butterfield [Huddersfield Town], and Bradley Johnson [Norwich City]. This was partly to cover for the departures of players like Jamie Ward, who joined Nottingham Forest, and Zak Whitbread, now at Shrewsbury.
The Rams failed to win any of their first six matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 defeat to Portsmouth in the Capital One Cup First Round, but they soon clicked into gear in September. A 2-1 win away at Preston North End gave Clement his first win in charge and Derby followed that up by taking 23 points from a possible 27 until they next tasted defeat. Another eight match unbeaten run began after defeat to Nottingham Forest in the East Midlands derby, as The Rams went into the new year just a point off league leaders Middlesbrough.
With promotion the target, Nick Blackman [Reading], Abdoul Camara [Angers SCO] and Marcus Olsson [Blackburn Rovers] all joined in January but league form began to slide. A 2-1 win away at Hartlepool United in the FA Cup was their only success in nine matches, a run that saw Clement pay with his job. Academy coach Darren Wassall took charge for the rest of the season and tasted victory for the first time in February as three goals in the final ten minutes saw his side take the points at Griffin Park. Five wins in six matches in March and April guaranteed a top six finish and a two-legged tie against Hull City in the Play-Off Semi-Final. A 3-0 defeat at the iPro Stadium left Wassall's side with too much to do, despite a 2-0 win at the KC Stadium, as they were consigned to a ninth straight season in the second tier.
The Ground
iPro Stadium Pride Park Derby DE24 8XL Click here for directions to the iPro Stadium
The Manager
Nigel Pearson is the man tasked with bringing Premier League football back to Derby County after taking charge at the iPro Stadium last month. Pearson's playing career saw him make nearly 450 league appearances for Shrewsbury Town, Sheffield Wednesday, and Middlesbrough. During his time at Hillsborough he captained The Owls to the 1991 League Cup and promotion to the top-flight that same season. Two years later he led Wednesday to the finals of the League Cup and FA Cup but a broken leg in the League Cup Semi-Final saw him miss the finals which Wednesday lost, both to Arsenal. Pearson earned two more promotions to the Premier League with Middlesbrough in 1995 and 1998 and went to Wembley for the FA Cup Final in 1997 and the League Cup Final in 1997 and 1998, all three of which Boro lost.
As a manager Pearson made his name in two spells with Leicester City after stints with Carlisle United, West Bromwich Albion, England's Under-21s, Newcastle United, and Southampton. The Foxes won the 2008/09 League One crown under his leadership before he departed for an unsuccessful 18 month spell in charge of Hull City. After returning to The King Power Stadium, promotion to the Premier League was achieved during the 2013/14 season before he masterminded the great escape during the 2014/15 season where The Foxes won seven of their last nine matches to avoid relegation.
The First Meeting
18 September 1935, Football League Division One - Derby County 2 Brentford 1 Brentford: Mathieson, Bateman, Poyser, McKenzie, James, Watson, Hopkins, Robson, Holliday, Scott, Fletcher The Rams inflict a first away defeat of the season on The Bees despite Fletcher's goal
The Last Meeting
20 February 2016, Sky Bet Championship - Brentford 1 Derby County 3 Brentford: Button, Colin, Dean, O'Connell, Bidwell, Yennaris, McEachran, Woods, Judge, Kerschbaumer, Vibe Alan Judge's fine opener cancelled out as Derby strike three times in final ten minutes to secure the points at Griffin Park
Head to Head
Brentford wins: 8 Draws: 6 Derby County wins: 12