3/1 To Win
Derby County will be looking to make it three wins on the spin when Aston Villa visit Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, but they’ll go into the game without a win against the Villans since 2001.
Colin Todd was in the home dugout when the Rams overcame the odds to record a 3-1 victory nearly 16 years ago, with Fabrizio Ravanelli, Benito Carbone and substitute Malcolm Christie on the scoresheet.
But what happened next to the side that started that day…
Goalkeeper – Mart Poom
The popular keeper joined Sunderland on a loan deal that eventually became permanent after Derby were relegated from the Premier League in 2002, before a switch to Arsenal three years later.
Whilst with the Gunners, he became the first Estonian to receive a Champions League runners-up medal, and he ended his career with Watford in 2009.
Defender – Francois Grenet
The Frenchman returned to his home country early during the 2002/03 season with Rennes, where he featured alongside Premier League legend Petr Cech.
He then joined Nice in the summer of 2004 before retiring two years later after a short spell at Bordeaux.
Defender – Youl Mawene
Mawene left Pride Park in 2004 after winning the club’s Player of the Year award and he went on to continue a lengthy spell in English football with Preston North End, where he made 174 league appearances over six years.
A short spell in Greece was followed by a return to Britain with Aberdeen, before he retired after a year with Fleetwood town in 2013. He is now the Cod Army’s Head of Sport Science.
Defender – Luciano Zavagno
Like Mawene, Zavagno also enjoyed time in Greece after leaving the Rams, as well as Italy and his home country Argentina.
He went on to end his career after a two-year spell with Torino and he helped the club gain promotion to Serie A in 2012, where they remain to this day under the management of Sinisa Mihajlovic.
Defender – Chris Riggott
A product of the Rams’ youth system, Riggott remained at Pride Park for half a season after relegation to the second tier before joining Middlesbrough in a joint deal with Malcolm Christie.
He played a key role in Boro’s memorable run to the UEFA Cup final in 2006 but injuries soon took their toll, and he retired in 2012 after making just two league appearances in two years for Cardiff City, Derby and Burton Albion.
Defender – Danny Higginbotham
Higginbotham enjoyed success after leaving the Rams, most notably with Stoke City where he played a crucial role as Tony Pulis established the Potters as a Premier League club.
He went on to make his international debut at the age of 34 with Gibraltar, and he earned three caps before ending his playing career in 2014. He has now embarked on a media career.
Midfielder – Paul Boertien
Injuries hampered Boertien’s career at Pride Park but he still went on to make over 100 league appearances before leaving permanently for Walsall in 2007.
He left the Bescot Stadium two years later before an 18-month spell with Derby’s local rivals Burton Albion.
Midfielder – Pierre Ducrocq
The Frenchman’s loan spell expired at the end of the season and he returned to Paris Saint-Germain, where he was immediately sold to Le Havre.
After five years and 160 appearances, he joined Strasbourg before heading to Greece with Kavala, where he ended his career in 2011.
Attacking Midfielder – Georgi Kinkladze
The Mercurial Georgian was underwhelming for large spells of his time at Pride Park but his form picked up towards the end of Derby’s first season back in the second tier, and he won the supporters’ Player of the Year award.
He spent over a year without a club after departing in the summer of 2003, before eventually joining Cypriot side Anorthosis where he played under Temuri Ketsbaia, formerly of Newcastle United. He retired after a single season at Russian club Rubin Kazan in 2006.
Forward – Benito Carbone
Derby were Carbone’s fourth English club and he made it five by joining Middlesbrough after his loan deal at Pride Park expired, and after the end of his spell in the North East, he returned to Italy.
A short time in Australia with Sydney was entwined with spells at five different Italian clubs, and after retirement he spent time as a consultant at Leeds United.
Forward – Fabrizio Ravanelli
A Champions League winner with Juventus five years prior to his arrival in the East Midlands, his powers were on the wane but he still reached double figures for the 2001/02 season.
He left in 2003 for Dundee, before he ended his playing days at his first club Perugia.
A coaching spell with The Old Lady followed after retirement, before he spent time in charge at French club AC Ajaccio in 2013.
Aston Villa: Schmeichel; Samuel, Staunton, Mellberg, Wright; Stone, Boateng, Merson, Barry; Angel, Dublin.
