The 2022/23 season was always going to be one like no other for Derby County.
There was new ownership, new management and 15 new players - and that was all before September was out!
Memorable victories in League One came at Pride Park Stadium and on the road, whilst a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and the visit of West Ham United in the Emirates FA Cup brought with them welcome distractions from league action.
An incredible 19 game unbeaten, which ran from late 2022 into early 2023, saw the team strengthen their bid for a play-off spot but in true Derby County fashion, the outcome of the campaign would go right down to the wire.
Over the coming days, dcfc.co.uk will be looking back at the season in monthly instalments.
Here, we look back at November and December.
November
Head Coach Paul Warne and his staff had certainly been thrown in at the deep end with the Rams during a jam-packed October but there was no chance of that slowing down in November, either.
The Rams would take part in seven games and three different competitions over the course of the month.
They were quite contrasting match-ups too. From a trip to Premier League side Liverpool in Carabao Cup action to a long journey to the south coast to take on National League outfit Torquay United in the First Round of the Emirates FA Cup, all whilst there was the bread and butter of league football sandwiched in between.
Away from the FA Cup replay that did ultimately come, there wasn’t a single game scheduled to take place at Pride Park Stadium during November so the fans and players’ endurance alike would both be tested.
Warne’s men picked up five points from an available nine in the league. A memorable victory over MK Dons on the road the highlight as the Rams came from behind to secure a 3-1 win in front of an army of 6,500 traveling fans with Haydon Roberts, James Collins and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing finding the back of the net.
There were also draws on the road too. A 1-1 draw at Morecambe was secured thanks to a goal from Louie Sibley but missed penalties from James Collins and David McGoldrick saw the Rams drop points while they claimed a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Portsmouth.
An away trip to National League Torquay didn’t go as planned in the opening round of the Emirates FA Cup. The Rams at one stage looked to be cruising to victory thanks to a Will Osula double to but them 2-0 up but after Eiran Cashin was handed a straight red – a decision that was later appealed and overturned – the hosts fought back and forced a replay at Pride Park.
Luckily for Warne’s side, the replay posed no such drama as a comfortable 5-0 win under the lights, with the standout moment being Lewis Dobbin's stunning long-range volley, saw them progress to the Second Round to take on League Two Newport County before a 2-1 victory there, thanks to second half strikes from Louie Sibley and McGoldrick, saw them move into the Third Round to set-up a match with fellow Sky Bet League One side Barnsley on home turf in January.
And there was of course the trip to Anfield that was so close to being the perfect one for Derby. The Rams pushed the Reds all the way to penalties on the night after a 0-0 draw in normal time, thanks to some fine saves from Joe Wildsmith, but were edged out 3-2 on spot-kicks.
Results
Sky Bet League One - Morecambe 1-1 Derby County (Sibley)
Emirates FA Cup First Round – Torquay United 2- 2 Derby County (Osula x2)
Carabao Cup Round Three – Liverpool (3) 0-0 (2) Derby County
Sky Bet League One – MK Dons 1-3 Derby County (Roberts, Collins, Mendez-Laing)
Emirates FA Cup First Round Replay – Derby County 5-0 Torquay United (Ellis OG, Osula, Thompson, Dobbin, McGoldrick)
Sky Bet League One – Portsmouth 0-0 Derby County
Emirates FA Cup Second Round – Newport County 1-2 Derby County (Sibley, McGoldrick)
December
The start of the festive season would be one full of plenty of cheer for the Rams.
After a November full of cup competitions and long-trips, December brought with it a full calendar of Sky Bet League One football with three of the games being back on home soil.
A 0-0 draw with promotion rivals Sheffield Wednesday at Pride Park kicked things off before a 1-1 draw at nearest rivals Burton Albion followed with James Collins amongst the goals.
It didn’t take long to get back to winning ways and they did so in emphatic fashion a week later when they dispatched lowly Forest Green Rovers 4-0 at Pride Park. McGoldrick notched his second hat-trick of his career and the season to date after Nathaniel Mendez-Laing had given the Rams an early lead.
A hard-fought 0-0 draw against another promotion rival in Bolton Wanderers on 27th December followed before the month and the year rounded off with Lewis Dobbin scoring his first ever senior goal in league competition to hand Derby a 1-0 win over Cambridge United to keep their unbeaten run going.
Results
Sky Bet League One – Derby County 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Sky Bet League One – Burton Albion 1-1 Derby County (Collins)
Sky Bet League One – Derby County 4-0 Forest Green Rovers (McGoldrick x3, Mendez-Laing)
Sky Bet League One – Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Derby County
Sky Bet League One – Derby County 1-0 Cambridge United (Dobbin)