PU PREVIEW 35: DERBY COUNTY

Derby County FC was founded in 1884 as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. The club played its first competitive fixture in 1885 and became inaugural members of the Football League in 1888. Derby moved to the Baseball Ground in 1895, which remained their home for 102 years. The club won the FA Cup for the only time in 1946 and became Football League champions in 1972 under the managerial team of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. The following season saw them reach the semi-finals of the European Cup, controversially losing to Juventus. A statue of Clough and Taylor was erected outside Derby's current ground in 2010.

Derby became Football League champions for the second time in 1975, under Dave Mackay. Former Pompey boss Jim Smith became Derby manager in 1995 and the club moved into its present home, Pride Park, in 1997. The Baseball Ground was demolished six years later and a memorial eventually erected. In the 2007-08 season, Derby suffered the earliest ever Premier League relegation (in March), recorded its lowest ever points total (11) and equalled a 108-year old record of going through an entire season with only one win. The club broke the English league record of most matches without a win before defeating Sheffield United 2-1 on 13 September 2008. 

Derby are managed by Nigel Pearson and finished the 2015-16 Championship season in fifth place. The club nickname, The Rams, is a tribute to its links with the First Regiment of Derby Militia, which took a ram as its mascot and the song "The Derby Ram" as its regimental song.

Pompey and Derby have met on ninety-seven occasions. The first three meetings came before Pompey entered the Football League. Derby have won three and Pompey one of the seven FA Cup meetings, the other three being drawn. The six League Cup meetings have resulted in three wins for Pompey and two for Derby with one match drawn. Of the eighty-four League meetings, Derby have won thirty-seven, Pompey thirty-one and sixteen have ended in draws. The last meeting between the clubs was on 12 August 2015 in the League Cup, when Pompey won 2-1 at Fratton Park.

(Information via Wikipedia and www.11v11.com)