John O’Hare is hoping Derby County can produce the same level of performance that they showed against Leeds United when they take on Aston Villa at Wembley.


The former Rams forward was impressed with what he saw when Derby overcame a 1-0 First Leg deficit to defeat Leeds 4-3 on aggregate last week.

O'Hare believes the Rams have what it takes to produce the same positive result at Wembley Stadium in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final.

Aston Villa defeated West Bromwich Albion on penalties to reach the final for the second consecutive year and the Rams legend believes it will be an even match-up at Wembley, despite the Rams again taking on the underdog status.

O'Hare told RamsTV: “By no means did I think Derby were favourites against Leeds, but they were absolutely terrific.

"The game was a fantastic game to watch. It was entertainment, end-to-end.

“I just think that they could play with the freedom, to go for it and they did go for it. They got the result that they thoroughly deserved.

“The second-half performance was superb. I think the Villa game will be a pretty even game. If Derby can perform like they did in the second-half against Leeds they are really in there with a great chance.”

This season has marked the 50th anniversary of Derby County being crowned Second Division Champions and securing promotion to the First Division.

O’Hare was part of that team and hopes that the magic of that season can be replicated exactly five decades later.

He added: “If it is an omen 50 years, hopefully that will be the case.”