The ninth edition of the Rampage is OUT NOW and is jam-packed full of exclusive interviews and club-centric content.
In April, out 100-page magazine features an interview with Krystian Bielik in his first time talking since suffering his second Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury. The midfielder is positive and looking forward to upping his recovery to get back playing with the Rams.
With Dementia awareness week falling in May, we look at the efforts of Derby County and the Community Trust to help families in our community suffering with the effects of the disease, as well as its impact on the beautiful game.
The Rampage also caught up with former Derby defender Shaun Barker who discussed his life after football, including the relaunch of his clothing line ‘With The Gods’ and his work with RamsTV, while we take a trip down memory lane with a look at the Rise of Derby County under Arthur Cox.
Ex-Rams striker, Steve Howard also relives his time at the club. Here is an extract from the piece that you can read exclusively in The Rampage.
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Howard did take some time to properly kick on, though. On a personal level, anyway. Seven games had gone by without the striker finding the back of the net. After arriving for a healthy fee, he felt the pressure of delivering on the big stage. However, that all changed on a cold Tuesday night in Wolverhampton.
“I struggled in the early stages,” he admitted. “I have always been a slow starter where I’m finding my feet and touch, but I did struggle. Billy was great, though. He wasn’t worried and put me at ease. I was putting pressure on myself, and you do feel the pressure, especially when there is a lot of money involved, but he just quashed that and said, ‘keep doing what you’re doing’.
“I remember scoring my first goal against Wolves and running towards the bench and Billy was there. I was buzzing and just kept saying ‘about time, about time!’. I just started banging them in from that moment on.”
He certainly did. Following the goal against Wolves, the striker scored in each of Derby’s next three fixtures, repaying the faith the manager had shown in him. He scored against Preston North End and Doncaster Rovers, before firing the winning goal in the last minute against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough. It was at that point the striker started to believe.
“After that game, that’s when I thought we had a chance of doing something good that season,” Howard remembered. “I scored in the 93rd minute and we won 2-1 but we were unbelievable. Giles Barnes got sent off and then we went a goal behind but the character the boys showed that day was incredible.”
For the full article and other exclusive content, CLICK HERE to purchase your copy of The Rampage.