Derby County have proven former Sheffield Wednesday star Carlton Palmer right about one prediction he made earlier on in the season.
A 2-0 victory over Carlisle United saw Derby clinch a memorable promotion back to the Championship.
Following a two-year exodus from the second tier, the Rams will return under the forward-thinking David Clowes ownership.
In securing his fourth promotion from League One, Paul Warne deserves huge credit for working under the EFL limitations, which forced him into signing players on loan or a free transfer.
Derby’s success this season was built from defensive solidity, conceding the fewest goals in the division (37), while their threat from set-pieces and Warne’s well-timed substitutions created the perfect recipe for promotion.
Carlton Palmer’s Derby prediction has come true
After finishing seventh and narrowly missing out on the play-offs last term, many had Derby down as automatic promotion contenders.
A squad filled with talent and promotion experience, including Conor Hourihane, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and James Collins, placed the Rams in prime contention to challenge near the top.
Despite enduring a slow start, losing three of their opening six matches, Collins says the standout moment was the comeback 3-2 victory over Oxford United in December, as that result inspired relentless consistency.
Around this time, several EFL pundits gave their predictions on the promotion picture as Derby proved Carlton Palmer’s correct.
Speaking to Football League World in February, the former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder said: “I said all along that Derby County would go up in second place, so I am still going to stick with that.
“Yet, I think Derby, four wins, one draw, one defeat in their last six games, [had a] disappointing result for them away at Barnsley at the weekend, but I still believe Portsmouth and Derby will go up.”
Derby’s experience made a difference
Warne touched on the importance of his side’s experience throughout this campaign.
The 50-year-old boasted the oldest squad in League One and naturally, those older heads were only going to be beneficial in a promotion battle.
Of course, age took its toll when the Rams played three games a week, but Derby invariably came out on top in the big matches.
In their crunch match against Bolton Wanderers in March, a 1-0 victory gave them a vital four-point buffer, as did their point away at eventual champions Portsmouth in April.
Coming out on top against their promotion rivals, particularly towards the tail end of the campaign, got Derby over the line and experience played a massive part.
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