Derby County 2022/23 Season Review: March/April/May

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 last few days, dcfc.co.uk has been looking back at the season in monthly instalments.

Here, we take a look at the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign.

March

After a mixed bag in February, March was a bit trickier the Rams.

Just four points were picked up over the course of the month, their lowest points total in the league since September.

The opener against the Shrewsbury Town at Pride Park Stadium set the tone. Paul Warne’s side dominated from the outset and went into the break leading 2-0 after a goal of the season contender from Haydon Roberts and a David McGoldrick finish.

A second-half fightback from the visitors ensured the points were shared and left the Rams extremely frustrated – a feeling that would become all too familiar across the month.

Plymouth Argyle on a Tuesday night was next up and it was again a game in which Derby led but failed to hold on, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing opening the scoring at Home Park, only this time it resulted in zero points and not the one as Argyle scored twice in the second period to claim a 2-1 win.

The only victory of the month came in a close affair away at Oxford United with the Rams coming out on top 3-2. Midfielder Louie Sibley scored a brilliant brace on his return to the side before an own-goal from Sam Long, under pressure from James Collins, ensured an important win.

March ended with back-to-back 2-0 defeats to Fleetwood Town on home turf and Peterborough United on the road respectively, but the good news was that the Rams remained in the top six following a disappointing month.

Results

Derby County 2-2 Shrewsbury Town (McGoldrick, Roberts)

Plymouth Argyle 2-1 Derby County (Mendez-Laing)

Oxford United 2-3 Derby County (Sibley x2, Long OG)

Derby County 0-2 Fleetwood Town

Peterborough United 2-0 Derby County

April/May

As we entered the final weeks of the campaign, it was still all to play for.

Whilst the top two now looked a little too far on the horizon, the top six was very much still there for the taking but with numerous sides in with a shot, it would take a month far better than the one prior to ensure a spot in the play-offs.

Automatic promotion chasing Ipswich Town made it three losses on the spin when they visited Pride Park Stadium at the beginning of April with a 2-0 success, but the Rams finally put the blip to bed when they comfortably saw off Forest Green Rovers 2-0 on Easter Friday thanks to an early goal from Collins from the penalty spot and a late McGoldrick finish.

An all too familiar feeling occurred when MK Dons somehow escaped Derbyshire with a point after a 1-1 draw on Easter Monday. Despite the Rams boasting 28 shots to the Dons’ three on the day, with McGoldrick again on the scoresheet, they were unable to find a winner and the points were shared.

A 95th minute Bristol Rovers penalty then snatched two points away from Derby at the Memorial Stadium in a 1-1 draw, with McGoldrick again scoring, and it began to feel like it really wasn’t meant to be.

Back-to-back victories against Exeter City and Burton Albion then saw the pendulum swing once again in the Rams’ favour with McGoldrick once again the man on target. He scored twice in the second half to secure the 2-1 win at Exeter, while against Burton at Pride Park Stadium his penalty in the second period claimed a 1-0 win.

A hard-fought 1-1 draw against Portsmouth in the final game of the season at Pride Park Stadium meant the fate of the season would go right down to the wire. Derby had trailed in the first half but Collins came off the bench to level in the second half.

Derby would need to match or better the result of Peterborough United at Barnsley on the final day to ensure a place in the 2022/23 Sky Bet League One play-offs.

The Posh would travel to Oakwell to face a Reds side who already had their play-off place secured, whilst the Rams would travel to Sheffield Wednesday who narrowly missed out on automatic promotion.

Warne and his side knew the task at hand but when captain Curtis Davies was given his marching orders for a professional fou and Wednesday awarded a penalty late in the first half, which they converted, that task became monstrous.

As Peterborough took a 2-0 lead midway through the second-half, the Rams knew they would have to find a goal even with their man disadvantage.

McGoldrick went close on a couple of occasions, but it wasn’t meant to be. The 10 men had given it their all, like the team had across the entire season, but they fell just short at the final hurdle as they fell to a 1-0 loss.

Whilst it was a disappointment for everyone involved, it was a season to be proud of for many reasons and rest assured, the second that final whistle was blown at Hillsborough, attention rapidly turned to 2023/24 and working hard to ensure the Rams are ready to hit the ground running when the season starts again in August.