Pre-Match Pack: Cardiff City (H)

Derby County will conclude the 2021/22 season on Saturday lunchtime with a home fixture against Cardiff City.

dcfc.co.uk has gathered all the information you need to know ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match (12:30pm kick-off).

TICKET NEWS…

Tickets for the game will be on sale right up until kick-off and a crowd of in-and-around 30,000 is expected.

Supporters are advised to buy tickets as early as possible and if they wish to purchase on arrival ahead of kick-off, please do so as early as possible to avoid queues and potentially missing the start of the game.

Fans wishing to purchase a ticket on arrival at Pride Park Stadium are requested to ensure they have a Fan ID created on dcfc.co.uk to avoid the time-consuming process and to help provide a smooth customer service process.

Derby County Vs Cardiff City
Saturday 7th May 2022 (12:30pm kick-off)
Sky Bet Championship

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CLICK HERE FOR HOME TICKET FAQS

Important Ticket Information...

* 2021/22 Season Ticket Holders' cards are now active and available to use.

* Derby County Membership Holders have the chance to purchase a ticket with 10% Discount off the General Admission Match Ticket Price.

* Match Tickets are available until 10:30am online on the day of the match and until kick-off from the Ticket Office in person.

Car Parking

In conjunction with Derby City Council, an online booking system for Pride Park Stadium matchday car parking, priced £8.50 per car.

Seasonal Parking Pass holders are not required to book online but must continue to display their car park hanger on the day to avoid incurring a fine.

Non-Seasonal Parking Pass holders are advised that parking in Car Park A or B without booking via the link provided below risk incurring a fine.

For more information and to reserve your space in advance of attending any first team match, visit secure.mipermit.com/derby/Account/PayAndStayAdd.aspx.

If you have any questions regarding the matchday parking ticket, please email [email protected].

Contact Information/Current Ticket Office Opening Hours

Ticket Office Counters (located at Pride Park Stadium with parking available in the West Stand car park)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - 10am-4pm

Matchday - 9am-Kick-Off

Ticket Office Phone Lines (by calling 0871 472 1884 - Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge)

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - 10am-4pm

Ticket Office Email Helpdesk (by emailing [email protected])

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - 9am-5pm

COVID PASS RULES CHANGES...

From 27th January 2022, it was no longer mandatory for venues to require attendees to be checked for their COVID-19 status and this applies for matches at Derby County Football Club.

However, some venues or events may still choose to require proof of COVID-19 status as a condition of entry and supporters attending away matches are recommended to check each club’s policy in advance.

Supporters are recommended to keep up to date with the latest UK Government guidelines in relation to COVID-19 by visiting gov.uk/coronavirus.

TEAM NEWS…

Captain Tom Lawrence is available for selection after missing the Rams' last two matches as a result of his red card in the 1-0 loss at Queens Park Rangers last month and will return to the squad.

Midfielder Krystian Bielik has missed Derby's last two matches with a minor groin issue and despite stepping up his workload he will again miss out this weekend.

Defender Lee Buchanan is also set to miss the meeting with Cardiff after picking up a knock in training.

Striker Colin Kazim-Richards will once again miss out after picking up an ankle injury in the side's 3-1 loss at Blackburn Rovers recently and is due to miss the rest of the season, although he is upping his workload with the medical team.

MANAGER'S THOUGHTS…

Manager Wayne Rooney offered his pre-match views to RamsTV in the lead-up to the Rams' final game of the 2021/22 season.

He said: "It has been strange and challenging season, but also enjoyable. It sounds strange to say that after being relegated but there are so many positives which we can take from this season.

"There are so many young players who have stepped up, gained a lot of experience and that will really help them in the future.

"It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster; it’s been challenging but an enjoyable year at the same time."

FROM THE DRESSING ROOM…

Captain Tom Lawrence spoke to RamsTV ahead of the Rams' meeting with the Bluebirds.

He said: “I think how everyone has united throughout the campaign, the setbacks we’ve had and the enjoyment the season has brought will be my memories of this season.

“You can see how we’ve come together as a team, the coaching staff and everyone at the training ground, it’s been a pleasure to work alongside them this year and I’m grateful for that.”

MATCH OFFICIALS…

Keith Stroud will oversee Saturday lunchtime's match at Pride Park Stadium.

Stroud has overseen 32 games so far this season in all competitions, showing 142 yellow cards and five red cards.

His last Derby match was the 0-0 draw at Barnsley towards the end of last season, while the game will be his first at Pride Park Stadium since the 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic in October 2019.

Stroud will be assisted by Jonathan Hunt and Sam Lewis on the lines, whilst Paul Howard has been appointed as the fourth official.

LAP OF APPRECIATION...

Manager Wayne Rooney and his first-team coaching/backroom staff and playing squad would like to have the opportunity to show their appreciation to the club’s supporters for their tremendous home and away backing this season with a Lap of Appreciation immediately following the conclusion of Saturday’s home game.

However, they will only be able to stage the above if the pitch remains clear. Consequently, the club is asking that supporters stay off the pitch at all times and reminds supporters to both respect the ground regulations and consider the potential wider consequences to themselves and Derby County by failing to do so.

Unfortunately, Derbyshire Constabulary and the club have had to contend with an unusually higher number of incidents over the course of this season and continue to stress that anti-social behaviour at games will not be tolerated, and that the safety of the managers, players, officials, and supporters is of utmost importance.

Supporters who encroach on the pitch risk facing banning orders as well as a criminal conviction, while the club could also face a fine as a result.

PRE-MATCH PRESENTATION...

The winners of Derby County’s Jack Stamps Player of the Season and Sammy Crooks Young Player of the Season will be presented with their awards in front of the home faithful following the pre-match warm-up.

Curtis Davies and Max Bird will be presented with their accolades by former Rams defenders Roy McFarland and Colin Todd, who were key members of the 1971/72 First Division title-winning team.

1971/72 TITLE WINNERS...

Members of Derby County’s 1971/72 First Division title winning side will be attending Saturday’s game as special guests of the club.

They will be presented to supporters on the Pride Park Stadium pitch at half-time, offering the Derby faithful to give them a warm reception as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of their remarkable achievement under the leadership of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor.

EFL SUBSTITUTE RULES…

The five substitutions rule has been scrapped for the 2021/22 season, the English Football League confirmed in July.

The rule allowing clubs to make five changes, as opposed to the usual three, was brought in following football's restart in June 2020 after a break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given that games had to be condensed into a short period of time it was thought beneficial and allowed managers to make as many as five changes in three intervals during a match.

Clubs had a longer post-break between seasons this time around and so the temporary rule has been changed.

Teams will be able to name seven substitutes but only use a maximum of three.

STREAMING INFORMATION…

With COVID-19 capacity restrictions lifted and EFL fixtures being played in front of full crowds once again, the temporary change in streaming rules is no longer valid.

If you can't make the game in person, other options to catch up with the action on the pitch – including live TV, live radio, streaming of selected matches alongside highlights on TV and online of every Sky Bet EFL game.

Live TV (Domestic)

In the UK, Sky Sports will show 138 Sky Bet EFL matches, 15 Carabao Cup ties and the Semi Finals and Final of the Papa John’s Trophy.

In the case of Weekend Fixtures, the EFL’s designated kick-off times* for Sky Live Matches are usually scheduled as follows:

* Friday evenings at 7:45pm or 8pm

* Saturdays at 12:30pm; Sundays at 12-noon

Within the Sky contract there are other kick-off times that are available to the broadcaster

In the case of scheduled Midweek Matches, live Sky fixtures will be between 7:30pm and 8pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Radio

TalkSPORT offer exclusive live commentaries on national radio across the Sky Bet EFL as well as non-exclusive rights to the Carabao Cup that are shared by the BBC.Both TalkSPORT and the BBC have the ability to broadcast score flash updates across all competitions.BBC Local Radio also have individual commentary deals with selected EFL clubs.

Live TV (International)

Any match shown live on Sky Sports in the UK is made available overseas via the League’s international broadcast partners.As well as this fixture, a minimum of 36 Championship fixtures taking place on Saturdays at 3pm, will be distributed for international coverage, alongside selected League One and Two fixtures, Carabao Cup ties, and action from across the Sky Bet Play-Offs.

A full list of the EFL’s international broadcast partners are available here:efl.com/iFollow/international-broadcasters/

Highlights

In the UK, Quest will continue to be the home for all highlights of matches in the Sky Bet EFL, Carabao Cup and Papa John’s Trophy, with action from a full weekend schedule of matches broadcast at 9pm on Saturdays, and midweek League highlights and Carabao Cup midweek highlights also screened on applicable weeknights. Internationally, a number of the EFL’s broadcast partners show repeat transmissions and highlights.

Streaming

In respect of domestic streaming, the EFL will return to the position as was prior to the pandemic when the live broadcast or streaming of any match in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is prohibited between the hours of 2:45pm-5:15pm on Saturday afternoons.

EFL clubs will have the right to live-stream midweek matches on iFollow or Club equivalent service, with Sky Sports also able to stream the same Championship fixtures to subscribers across their Red Button interactive and digital services.

The position in each Sky Bet EFL division is as follows:

Championship - Domestic

* All scheduled midweek matches (unless selected as one of Sky Sports Exclusive midweek selections)

* Displaced weekend matches – matches which are moved from Saturday 3pm kick-offs for non-TV purposes (at the discretion of the Home club)

* Bank Holiday matches (at the discretion of the Home club)

Championship - International

Overseas supporters can watch live all EFL Championship league games provided that they have not been selected for international television broadcast in a territory that has an overseas broadcast partner