Derby County are on track to win promotion to the Championship and Paul Warne hasn’t ruled out his side winning the title.
Derby County have made solid progress as a club since David Clowes tookover at Pride Park in July 2022.
Clowes became an instant hero in Derbyshire after saving the club from extinction and the Rams have since gone from strength to strength, both financially and on the pitch.
Paul Warne was hired as manager in September 2022, achieving a seventh-place finish in his first season in charge, narrowly missing out on the playoffs by a point.
Now, Derby aim to achieve promotion back to the Championship with the Rams establishing a four-point lead on third-place Bolton Wanderers.
Following their crucial victory over the Trotters on Saturday, Warne’s men have cemented their place in the top two, but with seven matches left to go, the former Rotherham boss is aiming to go one better.
Paul Warne dreams of Derby County lifting the League One title
Derby are currently five points behind leaders Portsmouth at the top of League One and that gap looks difficult to breach with not much action left to play.
Crucially, though, Warne’s side travel to Pompey on April 2nd looking to come away with three points from Fratton Park.
It promises to be a huge encounter that could either give the visitors a real opportunity to lift the title or dent them completely.
During his time at Rotherham, Warne achieved promotion to the Championship on three occasions, either automatically or through the play-offs but never the title.
Now, the 50-year-old has dreamt of winning the league with Derby and has encouraged his players to share those ambitions.
“I would love to take either,” Warne told the Derby Telegraph. “Our job is to try to keep the feet on the floor because if you think you’ve got it sussed, then we will get punched in the face and lose three on the spin.
“Our job has always been to try and go for the title. We’ve been saying that to the lads for weeks and months. That has been our dream.
“If you aim higher, you fall short then I would take second, but we are actively trying to hunt down the top team. That’s what we’re trying to do, obviously, because I want everyone to have the best life they can have and being the champions doesn’t get any better.”
Derby County’s fixture run-in
Derby have seven matches to remain in the division’s top two or chase down Portsmouth for the title.
The Rams will face a tough test this weekend as they travel to Northampton Town before hosting Blackpool on Good Friday.
Their crunch match at Fratton Park is on April 2nd while fixtures against Wycombe Wanderers, Leyton Orient and Cambridge United lurk on the horizon.
Warne’s men end their season at home to Carlisle United but by that point, he would have wanted promotion wrapped up to avoid any final day casualties.