Pick of the stats: Preston North End v Derby Countypublished at 12:08 GMT 15 January
12:08 GMT 15 January
This fixture dates back to the very first Football League season when Preston won both games on their way to an unbeaten campaign which saw them crowned England's first champions.
Derby finished that season third from bottom and had to apply for re-election.
Preston are looking for their first league double over Derby since the 2020-21 campaign following their 1-0 win earlier this season.
Derby County have lost just one of their past 10 away league matches against Preston North End (W5 D4), going down 3-0 in 2020-21.
Since the start of November, only Watford (1) have lost fewer Championship games than Preston North End (2), while only Ipswich (28) and the Hornets (26) have won more points in that time than the Lilywhites (24).
Derby have scored in each of their past 16 Championship matches, the longest ongoing run of any side. It is their best run of scoring at this level since an 18-game run between December 2019 and July 2020.
Derby County have faced 75 shots more than they have had themselves when they have been drawing in Championship games this season which is the worst differential of any side when level.
Gossip: Rams eye teenage hot-shotpublished at 10:21 GMT 15 January
10:21 GMT 15 January
Derby are leading the race to sign Rangers' 16-year-old hot-shot Chris Condy, who has netted more than 20 goals for the Gers' youth teams since joining from Hamilton last summer. (Daily Record, external)
Eames has 'got an X-factor' - Wilsonpublished at 11:00 GMT 14 January
11:00 GMT 14 January
Media caption,
"He's got a very big future"
Former Derby County striker and academy coach Kevin Wilson believes midfielder Owen Eames has "a big future" ahead of him after making his debut for the Rams in their FA Cup loss to Leeds on Sunday.
The 19-year-old is a product of Derby's academy and played 17 minutes in the defeat by Leeds for his maiden senior appearance.
"I think the kid has a got a real big future," Wilson told BBC Radio Derby.
"He certainly made an impression on a lot of people on Sunday from his first 15 minutes with the first team on the pitch, but I've seen him four times this year and I've been very impressed with him.
"With his creativity for other people, his unselfish running off the ball but also very good on the ball."
Derby have not had an academy graduate break through into the first team since midfielder Liam Thompson did so in 2022.
But Wilson thinks that Eames has got what it takes for a successful senior career.
"He's got an X-factor, hasn't he? He's got that bit other players haven't got," Wilson added.
"He's got a hunger, he's got a desire. There aren't many players that can press like he does, he really presses well. He's most likely as good as I've seen in a while from a young lad.
"I think as long as everything goes well for him going forward and the right decisions are made, I'm sure he will be a name that people would go 'I remember this kid'."
Eustace praises 'competitive' Rams after Leeds losspublished at 11:24 GMT 12 January
11:24 GMT 12 January
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Derby County boss John Eustace has said there are "lots of positives" to take from their 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Leeds United on Sunday.
The Rams led the contest through Ben Brereton Diaz's low strike in the first half but conceded twice within four minutes in the second period, before James Justin put the game to bed in added time.
"We were good, we were very competitive," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.
"I was really pleased with the debut of Oscar (Fraulo), Lewis Travis came back in, Corey Blackett-Taylor was really exciting on the left. All the players that came in I thought did really well.
"Second half, it was disappointing to concede so early but when players haven't played for that amount of time, we just didn't start quickly enough.
"I'm disappointed to lose, of course I am, but there's lots of positives to take from the game."
Follow Sunday's FA Cup ties livepublished at 10:51 GMT 11 January
10:51 GMT 11 January
There are eight third-round ties in the FA Cup on Sunday - as Premier League and Championship teams enter the competition - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Derby County v Leeds United" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Portsmouth v Arsenal", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Derby v Leeds published at 17:57 GMT 10 January
17:57 GMT 10 January
Leeds have been terrific recently and, as regular readers will know, I am really pleased for their manager Daniel Farke and how he has changed the narrative about his future.
I can see Farke making plenty of changes here because, while he would love a cup run, he knows there is still work to do to keep his side in the Premier League.
That's why I am going for Derby to cause an upset. They are improving all the time under John Eustace and while Leeds will be full of confidence off the back of the past few weeks, I am not sure they will maintain their intensity with a second-string side.
Wealdstone sign Derby centre-back on loanpublished at 18:24 GMT 9 January
18:24 GMT 9 January
Wealdstone have signed centre-back Daniel Cox on a short-term loan from Championship side Derby.
The 19-year-old Wales Under-21 international has featured once for the Rams' first team and spent the first half of this campaign on loan at League Two Walsall, making seven appearances.
'Plenty more to come from Fraulo'published at 12:03 GMT 7 January
12:03 GMT 7 January
Media caption,
"He had a very hard and challenging time at Borussia Mönchengladbach"
A move to Pride Park is a great chance for Oscar Fraulo to reignite his career, according to German journalist Kevin Schulte.
Derby signed the 22-year-old Danish midfielder from German Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach on a three-and-a-half-year deal for a compensation fee, thought to be around £300,000.
Fraulo played only 40 minutes of football across four league games for Gladbach this season and was in the final months of his contract at Borussia-Park.
He made just seven appearances for the German side since joining from Danish side Midtjylland in 2022, although he spent the past two seasons on loan with Dutch club Utrecht, where he scored five goals in 59 league games.
"He had a very hard and challenging time (at Gladbach)," Schulte said told BBC Radio Derby.
"His problem was the squad is very unbalanced. In his position there are too many players. It's to do with poor squad management over the past four or five years so the best thing for him was the loan to Utrecht.
"It was not surprising Borussia sold him now to Derby permanently. This was the last chance to get some money from the transfer. I think the money is the best you can get and Borussia needs every penny."
Schulte predicted there was "more to come" from Fraulo, who has earned Denmark under-21 honours.
"The plan was that maybe he plays a bigger role in the second or third year, and after that didn't happen you know it will be hard. He's still very young, at this kind of age you have to play.
"Utrecht was quite good, he had two good seasons there, but after his return everybody said maybe it's time for him to shine a bit more, but four appearances on the pitch in the first 16 matches is too little.
"Now it's best for all sides that Oscar left."
Schulte said Fraulo was best suited to an attacking midfield role rather than a defensive one, but added: "He has quite a broad skill-set, he's box-to-box, high intensity, he works hard to get better and has high tactical intelligence and passing skills.
"An offensive eight should be his best position. His style is based on good skills and passing. He's not slow. In Derby he should play a good role.
"We are a bit surprised that Fraulo didn't play any role at Borussia over the past three seasons.
"There should be much to come from him when he has playing time."
'Eustace has potential to be one of Derby's best'published at 15:57 GMT 6 January
15:57 GMT 6 January
Image source, Getty Images
Sinners star and Derby County fan Jack O'Connell has said that the Rams are "very fortunate" to have boss John Eustace at the helm.
Eustace had already made an impression on the Hollywood actor as a player in a Derby shirt and he has now been "impressed" with what the 46-year-old has had to offer from the manager's seat.
"I loved him in a Derby shirt and I think now is the time to back him because it does feed onto the field.
"I think in a couple of transfer windows' time, he'll make a difference and he will be able to implement his philosophy properly onto the club and that's when we will know."
As for how the Rams have performed so far this season, while he feels "it could be better", O'Connell called for some perspective as they continue to recover from their financial turmoil of the past.
"I'm gasping for a bit of mid-table mediocrity this year and to just have it all wrapped up in a month or two," O'Connell added. "If you zoom out a little bit, you have to have a bit of perspective. I couldn't be happier.
"It takes a while to really properly turn the club around when you consider where we were. The fact that we are being run correctly from the people upstairs is massive, the fact that we've been in a position where we can acquire the likes of Carlton Morris and [Lewis] Travis - they are top players.
"As frustrating as it is at times, it's been a whole lot worse."
What makes Derby better on the road?published at 13:13 GMT 6 January
13:13 GMT 6 January
Amelia Warren Fan writer
Image source, Shutterstock
Image caption,
Derby's tactics allow them to exploit Rhian Brewster's pace according to fan writer Amelia Warren
After coming through the ever-chaotic Christmas schedule, the Championship table has started to take its true shape.
For Derby this means sitting comfortably in 13th position, 11 points off the bottom three, with much less to be worried about than this time last season.
The Rams have won the same amount of games as they have lost so far in this campaign and also have an underwhelming goal difference of zero.
However, despite that, it is better than the two sides who currently sit directly above them in the table, with Leicester and QPR standing on -1.
Squad depth and injuries have definitely played a part in Derby's unsettled form, and the Rams' current league position is probably an accurate reflection of the performances we have seen.
One thing I feel has contributed to the form, aside from personnel, is Derby's style of play.
Honestly, I am a fan of John Eustace. I can understand we do not produce the most thrilling displays, but with the squad we have I think the coaching staff are tactically limited with what they can achieve, and we do not have many options to play differently.
The position we find ourselves in is actually fairly impressive to me considering we have limited resources and lost our talisman to injury just over a third of the way through the season.
One thing we have seen the Rams prove this season, is they are a much better 'sit in and play on the break' side, than they are a 'dictate play and take the game to the opposition' team.
This makes them a better away outfit than at home. A point backed-up further by Derby currently having the lowest average possession stats in the whole division, with just 41.9%.
Looking at the home form table compared to the away form table for this season so far Derby rank 20th inside their own stadium, compared to fifth when on our travels.
The best recent example of us benefiting from playing to our strengths on the road came against Birmingham City.
Looking at the goal that was scored by Patrick Agyemang - Derby won the ball back in their own half and instantly launched a forward ball for the pace of Rhian Brewster to run onto. We all know what happened after that.
That is what Derby have been about this season, turning over quickly, breaking, looking to hit the wide areas in behind, and capitalising on their opponents' errors.
Why is this more effective away from home?
Teams tend to be much more aggressive at home than they are away, which presents Derby with many more opportunities to play on the break.
I cannot say it is the most impressive way of playing, but it suits the personnel we have available to us, and it is effective enough to keep us out of danger.
The Rams at the moment are in a transition period and are clearly building for stability, looking to push on next season when we can have an overhaul of the playing staff in the summer and finally have realistic ambitions for the Championship top six again.
For now, it is about accepting our level and knowing we will remain stable which is what we have all cried out for since 2021.
Derby boss Eustace on disappointing Wrexham losspublished at 09:20 GMT 5 January
09:20 GMT 5 January
Image source, Shutterstock
Derby County boss John Eustace has rued his side's lack of quality in the final third after their 2-1 loss to Wrexham on Sunday.
The Rams had equalised against the Welsh side through Ben Brereton Diaz but Wrexham restored their one goal advantage shortly after half-time.
"I think we deserved at least a point, the way we started the game was not great, and going a goal down was poor," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.
"We grew into the first half, we scored a great goal and felt very comfortable, I thought we were very strong.
"Then we started the second half like we started the first half. We wanted to go out there, be on the front foot and we made a couple of mistakes and got punished by a fantastic goal.
"We huffed and puffed in the second half and just lacked that bit of quality in the final third to make something happen."
"We started slow and the opposition had two or three really good chances and we rode our luck, but as the game went on we grew into it and adapted a couple of things," he said.
"In the second half I felt a lot more comfortable with out shape. We knew we would get a couple of opportunities and I'm delighted to end up winning 1-0.
"Where we lack with a little bit of quality, we make up with determination, grit and heart. I know that group of players will sweat blood for these fans and I think they did that today.
"They really dug in at difficult moments against a really top team."
Pick of the stats: Derby County v Middlesbroughpublished at 12:50 GMT 31 December 2025
12:50 GMT 31 December 2025
Image source, Opta
Derby County will aim to keep in touch with the Championship play-off places when they welcome promotion-chasing Middlesbrough on New Year's Day (15:00 GMT kick-off).
The Rams are 14th and six points behind the top six after a run of just one win in seven games (D3 L3).
Boro missed the chance to close the gap to leaders Coventry with a 1-0 defeat to Hull on Monday night and remain eight points behind, while they are two clear of Ipswich and Hull in third and fourth respectively.
Kim Hellberg won his first four games in charge of Boro, but is now without victory in the past three (D1 L2).
Derby County are unbeaten in each of their past five home league games against Middlesbrough (W3 D2), since a 2-1 Championship defeat in April 2018.
Middlesbrough came from behind to beat Derby County 2-1 back in November and could now complete a league double over the Rams for the first time since 2014-15 under Aitor Karanka.
Derby County have lost their past three league games played on New Year's Day, last avoiding defeat on the opening day of the year in 2019, a 1-1 home draw with Middlesbrough.
Including 2026, eight of Middlesbrough's previous nine league matches on New Year's Day have come away from home, losing just one of the previous seven on the road (W3 D3).
Middlesbrough's Morgan Whittaker has been directly involved in six goals in three league appearances on New Year's Day (2 goals, 4 assists), more than any other player in the EFL since 2023.
Eustace's return & fan expectation - Derby's 2025published at 11:49 GMT 31 December 2025
11:49 GMT 31 December 2025
Ed Dawes BBC Radio Derby commentator
Image source, Shutterstock
What a year 2025 was for Derby County.
It began with a thumping 4-2 defeat at Hillsborough by Sheffield Wednesday, which included a goal from inside his own half by Josh Windass.
At that time, there were serious rumblings from supporters about the Rams' trajectory... it was simply going south.
Despite a win at home on Boxing Day 2024 against West Brom at Pride Park, that was only their seventh victory, and little did we know it would be their last until March.
Seven straight defeats and an FA Cup third-round exit on penalties to League One Leyton Orient left many of us believing something had to change. Add to that, the Rams missed out on much-needed coffers in the fourth round as Orient welcomed Manchester City.
A huge decision came on the eve of the Rams' trip to Norwich City in February.
Head coach Paul Warne was sacked and Sportscene went into emergency talk-in mode on the A14 in Cambridgeshire.
Two hard-earned points at Carrow Road and at home to Oxford followed under Matt Hamshaw, while talk of getting John Eustace out of his contract at Blackburn Rovers intensified.
Eustace, an ex-midfield maestro at Pride Park, had previously told me of his fondness for the Rams and how he'd like to return as manager one day. Well, this was the moment.
After protracted negotiations at Ewood Park, Eustace took charge in his first game against QPR at Loftus Road. The Rams were thumped 4-0 and, despite the new dawn, a lot of fragile confidence and overthinking bled into the Rams' performance.
After that, though, things did change. They became organised and harder to beat. Millwall stole a 90th-minute winner in a dull affair at Pride Park, before a late mistake gave Middlesbrough a 1–0 win at the Riverside.
Eustace's practices started to make subtle changes - consistent selection, figuring out who was best where, and how he could make them believe in themselves.
Sondre Langas, Nat Phillips and Matt Clarke became a wall. Loan midfielder Harrison Armstrong took hold of the midfield, and captain Ebou Adams led with passion. Goals were in short supply, but Marcus Harness and Jerry Yates never gave up.
The Rams won four in a row, including a brilliant five-goal thriller at Plymouth.
They were out of the bottom three, and only a couple more wins would see an incredible end to the season and an act of salvation by Eustace. The wins came at West Brom and Hull City, which left some bizarre mathematics on the final day to relegate them. Survival achieved.
In August, expectation was high, but it was tempered by the head coach, who in his first interview with BBC Radio Derby said it would be a slow start as new signings were not up to speed and some players were injured.
He was right. One win in the first 10 games, and a thumping 5-3 home defeat by Coventry City, led to a few minor alarm bells.
But you must trust the process, and what the head coach tells you is true. He was right again. A fully fit squad led to five straight Championship wins and six from seven overall.
Losing new signings Carlton Morris, Lewis Travis, Owen Beck, Max Johnston and David Ozoh to injury has scuppered progression. But they will be back in 2026, which can really cement the Rams in the Championship.
Perspective in football is key. January will see the fourth anniversary of the fans' march from the city centre to Pride Park ahead of the Birmingham City game.
We had no idea what was to come; now we do. And the conversation is full of opinion and expectation, shrouded in the odd spot of gloom. That's football - we have it in Derby, and we pray it never changes.
