3/1 To Win
Derby County will be aiming to show an immediate response when they take on Preston North End at Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday.
The Rams take on Alex Neil’s unbeaten Lilywhites looking to record their first victory of the new 2017/18 season and ahead of the match, dcfc.co.uk has pulled together all the key information you are going to need to know…
WHAT’S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?
Gary Rowett has confirmed that Tom Huddlestone is a doubt to face Preston North End on Tuesday evening.
The midfielder sustained a groin problem during the 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.
That aside, the Rams’ manager is hoping to welcome back Matej Vydra back into the fold for the meeting with the Lilywhites.
George Thorne and Jason Shackell have returned to training, but are not quite ready for a return to the matchday fold.
Darren Bent, Max Lowe and Jamie Hanson remain ruled out injured.
WHAT DID THE BOSS HAVE TO SAY?
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s home clash with Preston North End, Gary Rowett told RamsTV: “We have played against Preston and Alex Neil’s teams before and they’ll have an edge to them and be physical.
“They have some good players and are good at what they do.
“As ever, it’s about us and what we do. We have to concentrate on our focus on what we do both with and without the ball.
“As a manager, I know I have to get the best out of my players and that didn’t happen on Saturday.
“We have done some good things in the first two games but I know that the game is defined by the result.
“I have to try and take the emotion out of it and, regardless of the result, be critical when reviewing the game.”
WHO IS THE PLAYER TO WATCH?
The powerful centre forward’s rapid rise from non-league to the professional game began when Port Vale took a punt on a Middlesbrough born forward going by the name of Jordan Hugill in 2013.
And after a standout season last year, he is quickly establishing a reputation in the Sky Bet Championship.
Hugill’s journey began with the Glenn Hoddle Academy, whilst he also had spells at non-league clubs Seaham Red Star, Consett, and Whitby Town before the Port Vale gave him his first step as a pro.
He was sent out on loan initially but five goals in seven matches during a temporary stint at Gateshead prompted a return to Vale Park, where he played 24 times over the remainder of the season and scored a further five times – including one in a 3-2 defeat to Preston.
Hugill had caught the eye and signed for the Lilywhites in the summer of 2014.
The youngster certainly impressed during the early part of the season as he found the net twice in his first five appearances, but a knee ligament injury against Walsall put him on the shelf until February 2015.
The frontman then went on loan to Tranmere Rovers where he scored once in six appearances before he switched to Hartlepool – a decision which turned out to be a memorable one.
Back in the North-East, and with Hartlepool scrapping for their Football League lives, Hugill stepped up to the plate and scored four times in eight matches; including the winner which kept the Pools up against Exeter City at the Victoria Ground.
Hugill enjoyed his first season in the Championship, scoring vital goals in the local derbies against Blackburn Rovers and Bolton Wanderers and ended the 2016/17 season as the club's top goalscorer and picked up the goal of the season award for his solo effort against Aston Villa at Villa Park.
HOW YOU CAN SECURE YOUR SEAT?
Ticket prices are increased on the day of a game, so pre-purchasing prior to matchdays is recommended.
Tickets are available for Derby County supporters from:
Adults - £22
Senior Citizens (aged 65+) – £16
Under-18s - £13
2 to 12 Year Olds - £8
* Category D & E prices are listed above.
For matchday ticket enquiries and purchases, please visit the Ticket Office at Pride Park Stadium or call 0871 472 1884 (option 1).
Alternatively, supporters can also buy tickets online right here on dcfc.co.uk.
* Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.
WHAT’S TO COME IN THE RAM?
From speaking to one full back, we headed over to the other flank for an in-depth chat with Craig Forsyth for Tuesday night’s latest instalment of our award-winning matchday programme.
The Ram spoke exclusively to the 28-year-old full back to discuss his journey to overcome two ACL injuries, what he has learned about himself over the last two years and why he feels Derby County will be more consistent under Gary Rowett.
On top of that, supporters can look forward to interviews with Gary Rowett, Tom Huddlestone, Curtis Davies and former Preston forward David Nugent.
Like Saturday, Derby County’s official matchday programme will be a full 76-page publication and will be on sale for just £3 from all around Pride Park Stadium ahead of kick-off: 7:45pm.
Click here to read a brief review of what you can expect from our #DCFCvPNE edition of The Ram…
WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME WE MET?
DERBY COUNTY 1-1 PRESTON NORTH END
Tuesday 7th March 2017
Derby County were forced to settle for a point by Preston North End, who struck a last-gasp equaliser to steal a point at Pride Park Stadium back in March.
Matej Vydra’s first goal since October had Steve McClaren’s side well on course to secure a second win in four days, but their inability to score a second goal over the second half left the door ajar for the Lilywhites to find a way back.
They did so deep into added time as Tom Barkhuizen beat Scott Carson to a long ball forward, with Preston throwing caution to the wind, to earn a point for his side.
Derby County: Carson, Christie, Baird, Pearce (C), Olsson; Butterfield, Johnson (Bryson, 90); Russell, Vydra (Camara, 73), Ince; Nugent (Bent, 81)
Substitutes not used: Mitchell, Anya, De Sart, Hughes
Preston North End: Maxwell, Cunningham, Pearson, Clarke (C), Gallagher (Johnson, 73), McGeady, Huntington, Boyle, Hugill (Makienok, 79), Barkhuizen, Robinson (Horgan, 62)
Substitutes not used: Lindegaard, Browne, Spurr, May
Attendance: 26,301 (435 away supporters)
WHO ARE THE MATCH OFFICIALS?
Geoff Eltringham will take charge of Derby County's 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship fixture at home to Preston North End on Tuesday night.
Eltringham oversaw 40 games last season in all competitions, producing a total of 112 yellow cards and five reds.
His last Derby game was the 1-0 home win over Queens Park Rangers in Gary Rowett's first home match in charge of Derby back in March.
Eltringham will be assisted by James Mainwaring and Nick Greenhalgh on the lines, whilst Andrew Madley has been appointed as the Fourth Official.
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE ACTION?
As was the case at the weekend, RamsTV will broadcast Derby County’s home meeting with Preston North End on Tuesday night to supporters based outside the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from our #DCFCvPNE Matchday Live production:
MONDAY
- A review show which will broadcast from 6pm – as well as looking back at Saturday’s defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, RamsTV turn their attention to Preston and will bring you our pre-match interview Gary Rowett.
- This show will lead straight into our LIVE broadcast of the Under-23s’ match against Arsenal at St George’s Park.
TUESDAY
- Matchday Live will begin with a pre-match show beginning at 7:10pm ahead of the 7:45pm kick-off.
- Michael Johnson and former Derby and Preston forward Jon Macken join host Colin Gibson as live studio guests to discuss the game ahead and team news coming out of Pride Park Stadium.
- A pre-match interview with Gary Rowett ahead of kick-off.
- If you are based in the UK and Republic of Ireland you will be able to listen to live audio commentary from BBC Radio Derby, whilst subscribers will be able to watch every kick of the action – with Jack Woodward and Shane Nicholson providing commentary.
WEDNESDAY
- Match Highlights and the full Matchday Live show will be available to view for supporters in the UK the day after each first-team fixture on 12pm across dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV.
The new RamsTV streaming service is available to all supporters who resister on our new-look website dcfc.co.uk – which launched In June and has been developed with significant supporter input.
To access the full RamsTV streaming service will cost the following:
First-Team Match Streaming (outside UK) - £110 annual subscription or £12.50 per month
First-Team Audio Commentary (worldwide) - £45 annual subscription or £5 per month
A link to packages can be found here.
The two premium services are in addition to the regular pre-match and post-match interviews on RamsTV.
Supporters will also be able to follow all of the action, as usual, across our social media channels.
We will be providing behind the scenes content across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where we will also provide a blow-by-blow account of proceedings at Pride Park Stadium.
