It’s job done as Rams ease past Carlisle to start party
DERBY County won promotion back to the Championship in front of a delirious Pride Park Stadium as goals from Max Bird and James Collins secured a 2-0 win over Carlisle United.
Needing only a point to secure second place, Warne’s side raced out of the blocks, with Nathaniel Mendez-laing dragging a shot just wide before they went ahead inside the fifth minute with a spectacular goal from Max Bird.
Receiving the ball from Kane Wilson in the inside right channel, he opened up his body and struck a wonderful effort that flew past keeper Harry Lewis.
That lifted the roof off Pride Park and was an ideal way to settle any pre-match nerves but gradually the visitors began to show a threat.
Curtis Nelson was required to make an excellent block on the edge of the box, while United also had penalty appeals turned down by the referee for handball.
Georgie Kelly had a header tipped over the bar before Ebou Adams thought he had given Derby some breathing space with an acrobatic volley, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
Derby were hoping for a second goal and it nearly came after halftime when Mendez-laing raced down the right and crossed for James Collins, who just couldn’t apply the final touch.
But the second goal did come, just before the hour, when Sonny Bradley knocked the ball down for Collins, who took a touch before rifling a shot past Lewis to spark amazing celebrations around the stadium.
At that point, fans knew they would be having a party.
Mendez-laing could have added a third but was denied by Lewis.
The fans sensed it was job done and it was time for that party as they streamed on to the pitch at fulltime.
Grown men were reduced to tears, strangers hugged each other and the children could not believe their eyes.
Magic was happening everywhere you looked and it is the kind that can only be conjured by promotion.
Amid all the beautiful chaos and the emotion that drenched Pride Park, finally came the song that has inspired this Derby County team over the last few weeks. Now it can be made official because “The Rams are going up ole, ole.”
Two seasons after losing their Championship status in the darkest chapter in the club’s history, Derby are hurtling back to the second tier armed with hope and lots of expectation. Throughout all the bedlam that erupted, you could make out head coach Paul Warne, who will no doubt be overcome with emotion and exhaustion from the last nine months. Wearing his bobble hat, the King of League One – as he was nicknamed by owner David Clowes – proved he was befitting of the crown.
This was his fourth promotion from the third tier of English football and arguably his biggest achievement.
There has been a never-ending injury list, not to mention an inability to move with complete freedom in the transfer market because of restrictions post-administration.
While one of the most reluctant football managers will tell you that he does not particularly enjoy his job, his record – along with his backroom team of Richie Barker, Matt Hamshaw and Andy Warrington – reminded us all that he is exceptionally good at it.
Not only has he achieved this promotion against a backdrop of huge expectations but he has done so with humility, a razor-sharp sense of humour, a ferocious desire and an ability to mastermind results.
That concoction will now rightfully earn him a place in the history books as he joins the handful of managers who have honours listed next to their names.
He will try to play down his role, but he has been a wonderful ambassador for the club and what it stands for.
He has built a team whose spirit has been formidable and the players will deservedly share the limelight.
Across the course of the campaign, they have largely been writing tales of triumph but there have been tribulations too.
During the times they were questioned, such as the season’s nadir, defeat away to Stevenage last October, they have always stuck together.
And when you go through the cast list, every one of them has contributed to this success in some signifi
This was Warne’s fourth promotion from the third tier and arguably his biggest achievement
cant way, no matter how minor the role.
Whether it was Tyreece Johnjules’ only league goal, the winner away to Port Vale or Callum Elder’s sole assist in the huge 1-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers, everybody in this team has left an indelible mark on what is a record-breaking campaign.
Not only have they racked up 13 away wins – the most in the club’s history – but they have already set a club record for points obtained in one season
There can be no dispute that what they have achieved on the pitch is a representation of the leadership off it.
Clowes, the man who rescued the club from oblivion just under two years ago, has overseen a remarkable transformation quicker than many anticipated.
When the club plunged into League One, they did so against a backdrop of points deductions and a transfer embargo hanging around their neck.
When Clowes bought the club out of administration, Derby County essentially resembled ground zero.
It is not overdramatic to say that they were a club on their knees but they are now back firmly beating their collective chests.
Clowes, the die-hard fan who has a wooden Ram on his desk in his office at Clowes Developments, should savour every minute of these celebrations.
He was rightfully serenaded here in the 55th minute and the chances are he will never have to buy another pint in the city ever again.
Like all good owners, he has done so without courting attention, having trusted his staff to do their jobs to the best of their ability. That faith has been repaid in spades.
He will have collected a few programmes along the way to beef up his collection of memorabilia and the one he grabbed on Saturday will no doubt be the first to go in a frame.
His dog Hector, named after the club’s iconic striker Kevin, may even get a few more treats in his bowl.
You naturally expect that some names will take their place in the headlines more than others in the coming days but it’s important to stress this is a promotion for everybody.
Whether it is Philomena in the canteen, Davo the kit man, Clare Morris the secretary, Tom Loakes the head of communications, Andy Clarke the club photographer, the media team, the analysts, the kitchen staff, the Rams TV crew – it is for everyone who pours their heart and soul into Derby.
And equally, it is for the fans too. When thousands marched to show how much the club mattered to the city and community, Derby faced the threat of liquidation and an uncertain future.
But it now looks extremely bright helped, by the passion that has poured from every terrace across League One this season.
The fans have been through the mill but they have crashed through the other side with a great degree of love and a hell of a lot of noise.
Now they have a story to pass down the generations as Derby’s promotion officially closes the chapter on their stay in the third tier.
That story can now be rammed into the back of the bookshelf because a new one is waiting to be written back in the Championship again.