Take a look at the next five Derby County fixtures as they eye automatic promotion from League One.
Derby County took a giant step towards potential promotion from League One this season with victory over Bolton Wanderers. The two teams occupied second and third before the game, knowing that the magnitude of the result was huge.
The match was something of a chess match at times, with each side taking turns with spells on the ball. An injury to Dwight Gayle came as a blow to the Rams, but a change in the personnel saw them wrestle back control.
It was a tense affair at times, until one corner changed everything on the day. Callum Elder‘s first touch back from injury saw him whip a corner into the box, with Kane Wilson getting across his man to head it into the far post.
Pride Park erupted at the sight, which would eventually put them four points clear of Bolton at this stage. A draw for Barnsley and defeat for Peterborough means a slight cushion for Paul Warne and his team before the final seven games.
So with that said, here’s a look at the next five Derby County fixtures compared to their rivals in the promotion race.
Derby County fixtures
Northampton (A) – March 23
Derby make a short trip to the Sixfields Stadium next to take on Northampton Town in a huge clash. With promotion rivals all away on international duty, it offers the Rams another chance to put points on the board and get another game out of the way.
Equally, defeat could prove to be a huge blow after building such a gap over their promotion rivals in recent weeks.
Current position: 14th.
Current form: Zero wins, two draws, three defeats.
Reverse fixture: Derby County 4-0 Northampton Town – 31 October, 2023.
Blackpool (H) – March 29
The packed Easter fixture list kicks off with Blackpool making the trip to Pride Park on Good Friday. The Tangerines are still in the hunt for a playoff place, but inconsistency in results has been a running theme this season for them.
Current position: 9th.
Current form: Two wins, one draw, two defeats.
Reverse fixture: Blackpool Town 1-3 Derby County – 3 October, 2023.
Portsmouth (A) – April 2
A huge game follows just a few days later as Derby make the trip to league leaders Portsmouth in front of the TV cameras. Pompey have only lost four games all campaign as they edge closer to promotion, showing the difficulty of such a matchup for the Rams.
Current position: 1st.
Current form: Three wins, two draws, zero defeats.
Reverse fixture: Derby County 1-1 Portsmouth – 16 September, 2023.
Wycombe (A) – April 10
Another tough trip follows as Derby make their way to Adams Park to take on Wycombe Wanderers. While the side have been far from their clinical best, a recent resurgence in form and historic troubles against Wycombe could make it a difficult outing for the Rams.
Current position: 12th.
Current form: Four wins, zero draws, one defeat.
Reverse fixture: Derby County 1-1 Wycombe Wanderers – 16 December, 2023.
Leyton Orient (H) – April 13
Rounding off the next five fixtures is the penultimate home game of the season for Derby against Leyton Orient. The Rams will be hopeful that a win here could set them up to seal promotion in their final two games of the campaign that follow.
Current position: 10th.
Current form: Two wins, one draw, two defeats.
Reverse fixture: Leyton Orient 0-3 Derby County – 9 December, 2023.
Average league position of opposition: 9th.
Portsmouth fixtures
Wycombe (A) – March 29
Derby County (H) – April 2
Shrewsbury (H) – April 6
Bolton (A) – April 13
Barnsley (H) – April 16
Current form: Three wins, two draws, zero defeats.
Average league position of opposition: 8th.
Bolton fixtures
Stevenage (H) – March 29
Reading (H) – April 1
Bristol Rovers (A) – April 6
Portsmouth (H) – April 13
Shrewsbury (H) – April 16
Current form: Two wins, two draws, one defeat.
Average league position of opposition: 11th.
Barnsley fixtures
Cambridge United (H) – March 29
Burton Albion (A) – April 1
Charlton (A) – April 6
Stevenage (A) – April 9
Reading (H) – April 13
Current form: Two wins, two draws, one defeat.
Average league position of opposition: 16th.
Peterborough fixtures
Carlisle (H) – March 29
Leyton Orient (A) – April 1
Port Vale (H) – April 10
Oxford United (A) – April 13
Fleetwood Town (H) – April 16
Current form: Four wins, zero draws, one defeat.
Average league position of opposition: 17th.
Our verdict
Derby appear to have one of the tougher runs in the coming weeks, which only shows how big that win over Bolton is. The Rams have a few tough away games, but if they can maintain their gap on those around them, it’s in their hands.
Portsmouth equally have a tough run on paper, though with the knowledge that they only need a few more wins to get promotion over the line. As much as Pompey have to face the Rams, they could do them a favour with matches against Barnsley and Bolton coming up.
Bolton will be desperate to get their season back on track against some favourable opposition, though plenty of twists and turns await. Similar can be said of Barnsley and Peterborough’s run, though games are starting to dwindle.