3/1 To Win
It has been a season of transition for Derby County in the Sky Bet Championship, but it has also been an incredible journey, according to manager Frank Lampard.
It is a journey which started with a last-gasp winner from Tom Lawrence against Reading back in August.
Many ups and downs have followed, but it’s led us to where Derby County find themselves today.
A season of hard work comes down to one final game at Wembley Stadium against Dean Smith’s Aston Villa in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final on Bank Holiday Monday.
The winner will play Premier League football next season and Lampard is proud of how far his side have come over the past 10 months.
“It has been an incredible journey and it was a dream which was far away in that Reading game,” he told RamsTV.
“Looking back, the ups and downs that come with the Championship season, and the difficulties, the good moments, the bad moments; I am proud of this group, I really am.
“When you are tested at times, it shows the metal of what you have. The players reacted post Aston Villa in the league when we lost 4-0 at the start of March and I think the club and the fans did too. I talked about it in that period about the fear and negativity.
“Since that, the support we have had is incredible and the club has moved on, it’s credit to everyone involved.”
There will be 90,000 supporters inside Wembley Stadium on Monday.
It’s not the first time the Rams have played in front of big audiences or pressured situations this season.
Victories against Manchester United at Old Trafford and Southampton at St Mary's, and an impressive display at Stamford Bridge in a narrow defeat against Chelsea, in cup competitions have shown the Rams have what it takes to step up when needed.
The Play-Off Semi-Final victory over Leeds United displayed the character of Derby's players and Lampard hopes his side will be able to handle the pressure of Monday’s Final.
“They have all got great characters and want to do well,” Lampard said. “They have come so far in this season alone so I expect them to be able to handle it but there is more on this as an occasion than the cup games against Manchester United and Chelsea.
“This is a huge game for the club and it’s a huge stadium so if there are words to be spoken to let the younger lads know what is coming, whether they come from me or Richard Keogh or any of the experienced players in the team, then they will get that.”
Derby head into the game with confidence following an impressive end to the Sky Bet Championship season.
After the defeat against Aston Villa in early March, the Rams went on to lose only one of their final 12 games of the league season.
That form secured their place in the Play-Off places and Lampard cites that defeat at Villa Park as a turning point in the campaign.
“With Villa, I was waiting for that run from them,” he commented. “Individually and personnel wise, they are as strong as anyone in this league in my opinion and it came in that game and we were on the end of it.
“For us, it was an eye opener. We had a lot of injuries and we are not in the position we are now and the form we are in, but it was a good thing in the end.
“It was good to clear out some things in the dressing room after the game and from that point on, the unity, fight and desire in the group has got us to where we are at.”
