Pre-Match Information: Oxford United (H)

Derby County’s 2022/23 Sky Bet League One campaign will get underway on Saturday afternoon when they host Oxford United at Pride Park Stadium (3pm kick-off).

In the lead-up to the game getting underway, dcfc.co.uk has brought together all the key information you need to know…

Team News

Striker David McGoldrick has missed Derby's recent friendlies with a minor niggle, which has limited his pre-season minutes to just 45 minutes in the home victory over Hertha Berlin a fortnight ago. His fitness is continuing to be assessed on a daily basis but the experienced frontman will not be involved this weekend.

Summer signings Tom Barkhuizen, Joe Wildsmith, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Conor Hourihane, James Chester, Haydon Roberts, Kwaku Odruoh, James Collins, Korey Smith and Scott Loach all could potentially make their competitive debuts for the Rams in the season’s curtain raiser.

Manager Views

Interim Manager Liam Rosenior caught up with RamsTV in the lead-up to Saturday's game and he's looking forward to getting the League One season up and running.

He said: "It’ll be really difficult and it makes me anxious when people think we’ll walk this league. There are a lot of very good teams, including Oxford United. Every match away from home will be tough and we have to be able to grind out games and win in different ways.

"I want to see us really focus on ourselves in terms of the process and how we’ll play - that’s how you get consistent success, regardless of division. By focusing on performances, hopefully you’ll bring results but by no means will this be an easy season.

"A lot of big, big clubs are in this league who have big ambitions. The most important things, for me, are no complacency and consistency of performance."

Pre-Match Press Conference

Interim Manager Liam Rosenior addressed the local and national media on Thursday lunchtime to preview this weekend’s season-opener.

You can view the full press conference in the RamsTV video below.

From The Dressing Room

Forward Tom Barkhuizen says he’s like ‘a kid at Christmas’ ahead of Derby County’s Sky Bet League One opener this weekend.

Ahead of what is set to be his first competitive fixture in the home dressing room at Pride Park Stadium, the summer signing from Preston North End caught up with RamsTV to discuss how he’s settled in and to share his thoughts ahead of the season’s curtain raiser.

He said: "We’re a big scalp, I mentioned that when I signed. Some opposition fans won’t be happy that we’re still a club; that’s the way football goes. Others won’t be happy that we’re signing some big players. The Stevenage friendly game summed up what we’ll face in at least half of the matches this season. We know we’ll be up against teams who will sit in and be direct. Teams will try to set traps for us because we’ll try to play football.

"It’s going to be tough. We know we’ll have to adapt and it won’t be ‘tippy-tappy’ 5-0 wins every week. It’s going to be a grind, and I mentioned to a few of the boys last week that it’ll be tougher mentally than physically. We’ll be going to grounds that some of the boys have never been to but thankfully as few of us have. It's about making sure we’re in the right mindset and ready to go.

"Hopefully, with the fans behind us, home games can take care of themselves but away from Pride Park we’ll need to be especially switched on. We don’t want to go somewhere and dominate but lose 1-0 to a stupid goal because we switched off, so mentally we have to be right and let’s see what we can do."

About The Opposition

Oxford United, under the management of Karl Robinson since 2018, have been in-and-around the promotion shake-up in recent years and will certainly provide Derby with a stern opening day encounter as they look to continue to be a side competing at the top end of the division.

Oxford finished eighth last term, narrowly missing out on the top six, while in the 2020/21 campaign they were beaten by Blackpool in the Play-Off Semi Finals after finishing in sixth spot.

The 2019/20 season, via the point-per-game ruling owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, saw them reside in fourth place and they were agonisingly close to promotion after losing 2-1 to Wycombe Wanderers in the Play-Off Final at an empty Wembley Stadium.

Their main goal threat comes in the form of 32-year-old striker Matty Taylor, who bagged 22 goals in all competitions last term. A prolific goalscorer throughout his career, his return last year bettered his 19-goal haul in 2020/21.

Their summer transfer business has seen the addition of Scotland international defender Stuart Findlay from Philadelphia Union, while former Wigan Athletic and Norwich City winger Yanic Wildschut, a full international with Suriname, recently signed from CSKA Sofia.

They also bolstered their ranks this week with the signing of former Norwich City and Cardiff City winger Josh Murphy on a two-year deal.

Former Derby duo Sam Winnall and Jamie Hanson have moved on from Oxford this summer while influential midfielder Mark Sykes also departed at the end of his contract to sign for Bristol City. In addition, defender Luke McNally was sold to Burnley for around £2 million to become Vincent Kompany’s first signing for the Clarets.

Match Officials

Anthony Backhouse has been appointed as the Match Referee for Saturday's game.

Backhouse oversaw 38 games in the 2021/22 season and produced a total of 129 yellow cards and four reds.

Included in those 38 matches was Derby's 2-1 Carabao Cup Round Two loss at Sheffield United last season.

He will be assisted by Richard Wigglesworth and Hristo Karaivanov on the lines, whilst Scott Tallis has been appointed as the fourth official.

Ticket Information

There's still time to secure your seat for Saturday's game at Pride Park Stadium - but don't leave it until the last minute!

Ticket Prices

Behind Goal

£4 - Child (Age 6-12)

£8 - Junior (Age 13-17)

£12 - Young Adult (Age 18-21)

£16 - Adult (Age 22-64)

£12 - Senior (Age 65+)

FREE - Infants (Age 2-5)

Corner

£5 - Child (Age 6-12)

£10 - Junior (Age 13-17)

£15 - Young Adult (Age 18-21)

£20 - Adult (Age 22-64)

£15 - Senior (Age 65+)

FREE - Infants (Age 2-5)

Sideline

£6 - Child (Age 6-12)

£12 - Junior (Age 13-17)

£18 - Young Adult (Age 18-21)

£24 - Adult (Age 22-64)

£18 - Senior (Age 65+)

FREE - Infants (Age 2-5)

Please Note: Proof of age may be requested on entry for age-related concession tickets. Infants, Children and Juniors aged 2-15 must be accompanied by an individual aged 18+/Parent/Guardian. Disabled Supporters’ information is available by Clicking Here.

Off Sale Dates

Tickets will go off sale ONLINE two hours prior to kick off

Tickets will go off sale via TELEPHONE one hour prior to kick off

Tickets will go off sale IN-PERSON 15 minutes after kick off

How To Buy

Online (Subject to £1 per ticket Booking Fee and available up to TWO hours before kick-off)

Visit dcfc.co.uk and click ‘TICKETS’ then, under the ‘TICKETS’ section, click ‘HOME TICKETS’.

Use your Fan ID and password to log into the system. If there’s an issue, click the ‘forgot password’ link on the login page. If the issue persists, email [email protected].

Phone (Subject to £1 per ticket Booking Fee and available up to ONE hour before kick-off)

Call 0871 472 1884 * between 10am-4pm on Monday-Saturday and select Option 1. Ensure your contact details are readily available including Fan ID, Full Name, Full Address and Date of Birth.

Tickets can either be posted up to 72 hours before matchday and are subject to £1.50 per Transaction Postage Fee or can collected from the Ticket Office, presented by Seat Geek, which is open 10am-4pm from Monday to Sunday and at least THREE hours before kick-off and up to half-time on home matchdays.

* 0871 numbers are charged at 13p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.

In Person (No Booking Fee)

The Ticket Office, presented by Seat Geek, is open from 10am-4pm between Monday and Saturday and at least THREE hours before kick-off and up to half-time on home matchdays.

For all other ticket-related enquiries, please contact: [email protected].

Matchday Programme

The Ram will officially make its return on Saturday.

And what better way to savour the spine-tingling atmosphere once again than with a treasured copy of ‘The Ram’ in hand?

The club has teamed up with Ignition Publications to bring the programme back for the first time since the 2019/20 season and there is no more fitting accompaniment to a matchday than The Ram, which is packed with exclusive interviews, content, statistics and insight.

The A5-size 52-page perfect-bound editions will be available to purchase around the ground for £3, but you can also reserve every league edition from the campaign via a seasonal subscription with Ignition Publications, with details available below.

The first edition of the new era, following Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd’s purchase of the club in early July, includes an exclusive interview with David Clowes to discuss the takeover, his passion for the Rams and his desire to bring stability back to Derby.

This weekend's edition of The Ram includes:

* David Clowes’ first interview since Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd took charge of the club
* Liam Rosenior’s first programme notes as Interim Manager
* Skipper Curtis Davies discusses taking on the armband and offers his views on the season ahead
* Derby’s busy summer in focus, on and off the field
* A look at some of the most memorable moments in the first 25 years of Pride Park Stadium
* A view from the press bench from Derby Telegraph’s Leigh Curtis
* The latest news from the Derby County Academy, including the Under-21s and Under-18s
* A quick round-up of the latest Club and Ticketing news
* A look at the return of the Rams Family Fund in a round-up of the Community Trust news
* A round-up of the latest Derby County Women news ahead of their 2022/23 season
* An in-depth look at the threat Oxford United will pose the Rams

Order Your Copy Of The Ram

You can pre-order your copy of The Ram, or subscribe for the season, from the club’s official publishing partners Ignition Sports Media by visiting ignitionsportsmedia.com/products/derby-county-full-season-subscription-2022-23.

The package covers all 23 of Derby’s home League One fixtures, starting this weekend, but subscribers will only pay for 22 editions meaning this is the cheapest way of staying up to date with your beloved club if you can’t make every game.

The treasured issues will be produced to a schedule that allows for a first-class mail out on the Friday before a weekend fixture, with midweek editions despatched on the day of the game, but this is not a pre-event delivery service.

The price to reserve this collection of memorabilia is £115, including post and packaging, or you can spread the cost by signing up to a half-season subscription for £64 until 2023 for the first 12 games.

Subscriptions do not include any additional domestic cup or play-off matches, which must be purchased separately.

* Please note that this subscription is not for supporters Overseas, but an Overseas Bundle is available for all editions for 2022/23 which will be despatched by international tracked courier on two occasions during the season.

Broadcast Information

Domestic Streaming

Saturday’s match is NOT available for live domestic streaming under the EFL’s streaming rights.

The domestic market comprises United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.

International Streaming

All League One matches may be streamed outside of the domestic market irrespective of whether they have been selected for broadcast.

This means that they will be available both on a Match-by-Match basis and for monthly subscribers.

To buy the match as a Match-by-Match fixture, for £10 per match, or to subscribe to RamsTV on a monthly basis for £19.99 per month, click here.

Audio Commentary

Live audio commentary, provided by BBC Radio Derby, is available online ONLY on dcfc.co.uk.

A monthly audio subscription pass is available for £5 per month and purchases can be made by clicking here.