Hector was the best

I was in Sri Lanka, on business, for the play-off final against West Bromwich Albion. I just couldn't get home and I went to virtually every hotel in Colombo to see if they were broadcasting the game and all they could show was either cricket or tennis!!
Both my daughters were at Wembley and they were texting me every 15 minutes which had me texting and telephoning them back which cost me a fortune.
My consolidation that day was it was one of the coldest and wettest May day in London and I was alongside a bar terrace overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Wherever we are all in the world today lets cheer on the Rams from afar as the team gets us over the line to the Championship.
COYR's

…are you for the last 2 games? I’ve been home & away for most of the season but had to reluctantly relinquish my tickets for Cambridge & Carlisle for the sunnier clime of Sri Lanka from where I’ll be watching tonight. Pre-match today I’m taking plenty of fluid on board and doing some light pool work just to keep myself loose. It’s my birthday tomorrow so hopefully the Rams will present me with 3 points just to make tomorrow sweeter. 
Where are you watching from if you’re not at the game? 🐏

It was just the local pidgin, same as :
Olvo = Alvaston
Ozzie Park = Osmaston Park
Jitty = A gathering place
Allo = Allenton
Allo Allo = Allenton when giving directions to a deaf bloke.

Cambridge have another home game to play the following Tuesday, which could be critical to their survival. I doubt that they'd be happy with a pitch invasion by our fans and the risk of damage to the pitch or anything else. I don't doubt that it would lead to anything less than an inquiry by the FA/EFL and God knows what punishment.
Everyone understands that fans want to enjoy the euphoria of the moment, but I wouldn't want to give them any excuse to stick the boot into us again.

At the risk of coming across as a party pooper...
Away fans invading the pitch at Cambridge, particularly "in numbers", will almost certainly lead to sanctions against DCFC.  It will most likely lead to fisticuffs on the pitch between rival fans, and... this is my favourite bit... potentially lead to individuals and/or groups being left with a criminal record and/or some form of ban on attending future matches.
Home fans invading the pitch after the Carlisle game would likely follow the above, plus piss off those who, due to being a little more considerate and polite, choose to remain in the stands to applaud our heroes, and will likely... as has happened in the past... lead to the abandonment of any planned "Lap of Honour" by the players/staff, which of course, should happen for the enjoyment of us all.
 
There... I'm officially a party pooper... now stay off the fuckin' pitch, nob 'eads!  🍻 🐏

I certainly won't be going on the pitch after the Carlisle game and I hope others don't too - let's just stay in our places and not spoil anything for anyone.
https://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/2024/04/love-football-protect-the-game-fan-behaviour-2023-24

We do need to go for the 3 points and not be dependent on the results of “other” clubs.
1. We want to celebrate promotion at Pride Park
2. Three points  on Saturday would surely break the hearts of Bolton and Peterborough. 

Houihane has 5 goals and 8 assists.
Adams and Smith have been doing just fine and have been consistent. 

There is a problem with sleep as you get older.
When I was younger I used take a nap now am older the nap takes me, I often wake up at the end of a film and wonder what happened to the middle bit of the film.😂😂
I have never fallen asleep during a Derby match there’s always too much drama .
i just want two more wins for the Rams with as little drama as possible and I will be happy Ram 🐏 
 

It helps to talk and share- especially at tense and stressful times 👍😎
To be honest i am so bloody nervous i almost can’t bear to watch the Cambridge game 😳🐏🐏🐏🐏

Nerve jangling time still, as there are still 3 teams who could get the 2nd auto promotion spot. I think we really need a win at Cambridge on Saturday which would then give us an excellent chance.
Bolton play Port Vale on Saturday and you would expect them to win (as we expected them to win big last night!) although Port Vale will be fighting hard to avoid relegation. If Bolton score first it could become an easy win (to reduce the goal difference). It seems they struggle a bit when the other side score first.
Peterborough travel to Bristol Rovers and must win really. Bristol are a strange animal who can be awkward. I do expect Peterborough to win though. They then play Cheltenham away on Wednesday which again could be difficult with Cheltenham desperately clinging on (could Curtis do us another favour?).
I would expect Bolton and Peterborough to win both their games. If Peterborough do not win their games then we face the possibility that they may rest players for the match against Bolton on the final day, making it easier for Bolton. If Bolton win against Port Vale, they have to keep going, play their strongest team and overtake our current 5 goal advantage in their last two games.
I know I have stated what everyone knows but needed to get it off my chest.
Oh, for a win on Saturday! But we all know we don’t do anything easily. I also expect a really difficult game against Carlisle, who have a free hit while our players will be on edge (silly mistakes, sendings off spring to mind).
I am sure it will all be fine! (Fingers, legs and everything else crossed)
 
 

Think Portsmouth and Derby going up is the best result judging the season as a whole. Both too big for this league anymore. Hopefully the draw we gave Bolton today (tbh they could be right to feel bad not to take all three points) will be enough to get you guys over the line. 
 
Good result for you guys. Hopefully see you in the championship next season. 

Derby-born, Hampshire-raised Pompey fan here, still feeling a bit groggy after our promotion celebrations last night but hoping the Rams will be joining us in the Championship next season.
We came to Derby quite regularly to see my family when I was young and were fortunate to go to the Baseball Ground many times in the late 1960s and 1970s in the Clough and Mackay years.
I was on the Popside in 1975 against Carlisle when the second title was celebrated, there when Roger Davies got sent off against Juventus in the European Cup semi-final, at the 4-4 drew with Man United on Boxing Day 1970.
But the most vivid memories are of the home wins over Liverpool and, particularly the Easter Saturday 2-0 win over Leeds in that 1971-72 season. Men with Pack’Em In boards urging people to move forward to let more into the ground, a guy who walked around the ground with a bell before the match to gee up the crowd and another with dozens of rosettes inside his coat doing the same. “Programmes, get your programmes”, Hot Love blasting out over the PA system at the end of games, incessant shouts of “Derby, Derby” urging the team on. 

Against Leeds Alan Durban came over to our section of the paddock beneath the main stand to take a throw in, grinning all over his face with a two goal lead and not long to go. Everyone around us screamed at him to take the smile off his face and concentrate; the game wasn’t won yet.
Hector, Hinton, O’Hare, the magnificent McFarland and Todd (jumpers for goalposts). My first game was a 4-0 win over QPR in Feb 1968, seen from the seats in the upper Normanton End, my second a 3-2 victory over Middlesbrough on Boxing Day 1968. I stood on a milk crate at the front of the middle tier of the Osmaston End.
One traumatic memory is the sight of Bob Wilson standing there in just his jock strap after ripping his shorts playing for Arsenal at the Baseball Ground. After that Easter Saturday victory over Leeds in 1972 I seem to remember watching Derby lose at home to Newcastle on the Easter Monday and thinking they had thrown it away.
But then came that win over Liverpool and Leeds tripping up. My Dad, who grew up reciting the names of the 1946 Cup winning team, had new heroes. And so did we, until living our lives in another part of the country meant going much more regularly to Fratton Park (or The Dell in my brother’s case, sadly).
But we still look out for Derby. We took my Dad to the Charlton game at Pride Park last season and I’ve been to see Pompey this season and before.
Wishing you every success and the hope that you all will have similar fond memories of Pride Park.
 
 

Always liked Shrewsbury 😇

Hurrah
Just need 4 points, 3 probably enough with goal difference
 

Shrews (almost) bury Bolton

What a result! A win on the weekend should do it! 

Got to be our year 🙏

But our midfield is better than it has been all season with Adams and Smith? 
leave Bird on the bench! (Or even better in a cage) That way he can’t F it up for us. Can you imagine if he started and we got battered in midfield again.

Both sets of fans chanting "what's it like to see a hill?"

To be honest, I find these end of season games where nothing is at stake a little dull. 

Great work yet again with the match threads, these have been a different class over the last couple of months.
I for one will miss these after next week.
COYR - Hold your nerve and leave everything on the pitch for two more matches, we’ve got this.

Cledara Abbey Stadium: KO- 15.00
We’re on a mini-run, aren’t we, but despite having our fate firmly back in our hands, the pressure to perform remains; two wins from our last two and we’re back in the sunlit uplands of the Championship; a loss, or even a draw and potentially the pendulum swings again.
It’ll be interesting to see whether we might see one or two back in full training this week, but it’s hard to view the win against Orient as anything other than one of our most complete performances this season and this despite being far from clinical in front of goal. Will the confidence garnered see us approach the game with the same positive approach? One hopes so! Another slip up when seemingly set to turn the screw and inevitably, PW’s management will be under fire. A win and we head back to Pride Park with only Carlisle standing between us and our first promotion since 2007.
Our Opponents:
The club was founded in 1912 as Abbey United, and took the name Cambridge United in 1951. They played in local amateur leagues before joining the Southern League after finishing as runners-up of the Eastern Counties League in 1957–58. Under Bill Leivers's stewardship they were crowned Southern League Premier Division champions in 1968–69 and 1969–70, which helped to secure their election into the Football League in 1970. 

Recent Form & Key Players:
Off the back off two absolute kickings from Reading, 4-0, then a 6-0 hammering from Lincoln, Cambridge were held 1-1 by Northampton before closing out March with a 2-0 loss away to Bolton. April has seen them draw at home to Charlton and lose by the odd goal to Blackpool, before showing better form in defeating Wigan 3-1 at home.
Top of the scoring charts sits Gassan Ahadme with 11, with Fejiri Okenabirhie next best with 9. Ellis Kachunga is next best having netted 6 times in 34 starts. Sully Kalkai tops the assists list with from Jack Lankester and George Thomas with 4 and 3 assists respectively.
Rams Match Squad:
Hard to get away from the 11 that started against Orient, given the resounding nature of the win and the style in which it was achieved. A buoyant Paul Warne confirmed in the post-match presser that everyone came through unscathed and it was interesting to hear him saying that we had more energy coming off a shorter break than was the case at Wycombe, where he felt we lacked energy, despite the 8 day break.
The injury picture remains murky and it’ll be interesting to see whether Gayle and Bird might be fit enough to make the matchday squad. I’ll not bother with my selected 11, as I always get it horribly wrong and the gaffer seems to be doing a decent job matching squads to opponents without our guidance. Instead, here’s the top of the table as it stands:

Don't forget to keep an eye on @Caerphilly Ram's injury updates thread across the week, for any snippets on player's likely return dates. I'll append anything I see to this htread as best I can in any case.
The Promotion Picture:
Some key fixtures tomorrow night, none more so than Bolton’s home game against Shrewsbury, whom we know to be a strong and obdurate side, though one lacking the Trotter’s class edge. I’d expect Bolton to take the points, but should Shrews grab an early lead, it could make for rather tougher game.
Oxford, fresh off the back of their 5 goal hammering of Posh play hosts to Lincoln City, whose charge towards the play-offs has faltered a little in most recently. It ought to be a tightly contested affair and to be honest, I’d not be surprised by any result.
The aforementioned Posh have what appears to be a routine task against lowly Fleetwood, but what will be the aftermath of their humbling at the hands of Oxford on Saturday. Might they have a hangover?
Perhaps the best tie of the round features champions-elect Portsmouth hosting Barnsley. A point will surely suffice for Pompey, but I expect them to win and win well en route to a thoroughly well-deserved title win. They’ve been excellent this season and this despite being one of the few clubs with comparable injury concerns to our beloved Rams. It'll be good to see them back where they belong after some very difficult years of their own.
Of the weekend ties, the most interesting involve Peterborough, who have a tricky away game at Bristol and Bolton host Port Vale. It seems odds on we will be going into the final week needing to beat Carlisle to be absolutely certain of promotion and I doubt too many Rams fans will be counting their chickens early! 
Final Thoughts:
A brief digression is in order to congratulate Eiran Cashin and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, both of whom made the EFL League 1 Team of the Year. Bit miffed that Curtis Nelson was overlooked to partner Cash at CB, as for me, he’s been top of the pops for us, but I doubt he’ll mind too much if we win come Saturday.
A last word as always to all Derby fans travelling to the game, safe journey to and fro, Rams and Ramettes and hopefully plenty of good stuff to chatter about on your way home. Honestly, I think our away support has been as good as any in the entire EFL this season and they’ll hopefully be rewarded with another complete and controlled performance as we ourselves edge closer to that vital 2nd place finish.
COYR
BE MORE B4
 

Another year older in a League above....I'm not sure he's the answer ...but he had a great day today and that's all that matters for now.