Derby County fans were left in full praise of goalkeeper Josh Vickers after Saturday’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough.
The Rams’ shot-stopper put in a man-of-the-match performance after making several crucial saves against Middlesbrough who had 20 shots.
Vickers received praise from Derby players and can be held accountable to Paul Warne’s side for making a clean sheet.
Derby signed Jacob Widell Zetterstrom from Djurgardens who was a top target for the Rams in the goalkeeper position.
Despite the impressive performance, Josh Vickers has now handed Paul Warne a dilemma which could cause the Derby boss a headache before their next game against Watford on Saturday.
Derby County fans have mixed opinions over who Paul Warne should start in goal
Following Vickers’ impressive outing on Saturday, questions have been raised over which goalkeeper Warne should start moving forward.
Derby fans took to X after the game to express their preference of who should be the Rams’ number one.
One fan wrote: “Zetterstrom for me. No time for romantics in a relegation battle. Get your best number one between the sticks ASAP. We signed him for a reason.”
While another said: “I want Zetterstrom in as much as everyone else, but what does that say if Warne drops a player after a MOTM performance?
“There’s still 44 games to go. Vickers deserves to start.”
One fan downplayed Vickers’ performance on Saturday by saying: “Zetterstrom all day long. Show me a save Vickers made on Saturday that any professional keeper down to League Two wouldn’t have been expected to make.”
“I want Zetterstrom 100%”, another added, “but I could see Warne staying loyal.”
How does Josh Vickers compare to Jacob Widell Zetterstrom?
Commanding a fee of over £1.4m, Zetterstrom is worth far more than 28-year-old Vickers who is heading into his second season at Pride Park.
Warne will have a tricky decision on Saturday at Vicarage Road over which of his two keepers to start. However, how do the two compare to each other throughout their careers:
| Derby Goalkeeper | Career matches played | Career clean sheets | % of games with a clean sheet |
| Josh Vickers | 170 | 53 | 31.1 |
| Jacob Widell Zetterstrom | 119 | 47 | 39.4 |
Jacob Widell Zetterstrom has had a better record of keeping clean sheets in his career with over eight per cent more of his games resulting in no goals conceded.
However, Vickers has the experience of playing in England and for the Rams as he has made 15 appearances since joining from Rotherham in July 2023.