Paul Warne has pinpointed the exact moment he felt Derby County had a ‘major’ chance of winning promotion to the Championship.
Derby County achieved promotion on the final day of League One, overcoming relegated Carlisle United 2-0 at Pride Park.
It marked a special moment in the club’s history, as not only was it their first promotion in 17 years, but most supporters feared they’d never be able to watch their club ever again.
Derby’s exit from the third tier was impressive, breaking a record for the most away wins in a single campaign (13) while boasting the best defence in the division, shutting out the opposition 20 times and conceding just 37 goals.
Reflecting on an amazing season for the club, manager Paul Warne has pinpointed the exact moment his side had a ‘major’ chance of winning promotion.
Paul Warne pinpoints exact moment Derby County had ‘major’ promotion chance
The competition for promotion out of the third tier was fierce and at one point, as many as five teams had a chance of finishing in the top two.
And while Barnsley, Peterborough United and Oxford United tailed off, Bolton Wanderers took it till the final game, although they required Derby to lose and a four-goal swing to go in their favour.
Derby ended the campaign in impressive style, keeping clean sheets in five of their final six matches and securing victories over Blackpool, Leyton Orient, Cambridge United and Carlisle.
Warne has claimed that he started to believe his side had a ‘major’ chance at promotion a couple of games before the 1-0 defeat to Northampton as they pieced together a four-match winning run which included the mammoth victory over Bolton.
“When did I think we had a major chance? It was a couple of games before Northampton,” Warne told the Derby Telegraph.
“I looked at the fixtures and thought, I just can’t see us losing another game. The irony being that we then lost at Northampton which struck us odd. Even Hammy (Matt Hamshaw first-team coach) had said before that point ‘look gaffer we have got this sussed, it’s just downhill from here’ because we just had a decent momentum.”
Derby County have their work cut out in the Championship
Upon their return to the Championship, Warne has described it as the toughest division he’s seen in decades.
The Rams do have their work cut out to survive in the second tier, regardless of who they bring in throughout the window.
12 of their players are out of contract this summer and some – including Conor Hourihane, James Collins, Louie Sibley and Joe Wildsmith – all played prominent roles in their promotion.
Replacing whoever departs with Championship quality will be crucial to their survival bid, but it won’t be easy for Derby to compete.
Although David Clowes has said there is money to spend and he will back his manager, there are other clubs in the division that boast far more financial muscle and flexibility when it comes to spending.
The likelihood is, Derby will be shopping for bargains in this window and they have already been linked with a free transfer move for Barnsley’s Herbie Kane.
If they are to survive relegation, Warne will need to unearth some talented gems in the window as the challenge ahead is a daunting one.