1996–97 Derby County F.C. season
Derby County F.C. 1996–97 football season
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The 1996–97 season was Derby County's first in the FA Premier League, following their promotion from the First Division the previous season.
| 1996–97 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Lionel Pickering | |
| Manager | Jim Smith | |
| Stadium | Baseball Ground | |
| FA Premier League | 12th | |
| FA Cup | Quarter-final | |
| League Cup | Second round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Dean Sturridge (11) All: Dean Sturridge (14) | |
| Highest home attendance | 18,287 vs. Arsenal (11 May 1997) | |
| Lowest home attendance | 17,022 vs. Wimbledon (28 September 1996) | |
| Average home league attendance | 17,889 | |
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Season summary
Back in the top flight after a five-year exile, Jim Smith's Derby County side never looked in any real danger of an immediate return to Division One, and their 12th-place finish in the final table was their highest final position in eight years. Young striker Dean Sturridge received many plaudits for his goalscoring exploits, which sparked talk of a £7 million transfer to Arsenal, but the move never happened.
The highlight of the season was a 3–2 win against champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, with Paulo Wanchope scoring a "wonder goal" on his English league debut.[1][2]
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 46 |
| 11 | Leeds United | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 28 | 38 | −10 | 46 |
| 12 | Derby County | 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 46 |
| 13 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 42 | 43 | −1 | 42 |
| 14 | West Ham United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 42 |
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
- Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 38 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 46 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 25 | 22 | +3 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 20 | 36 | −16 |
Source: Statto
- Results by round
Results
Derby County's score comes first[3]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
FA Premier League
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1996 | Leeds United | H | 3–3 | 17,925 | Sturridge (2), Paul Simpson |
| 21 August 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 28,219 | Dailly |
| 24 August 1996 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 34,646 | |
| 4 September 1996 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 18,025 | Laursen |
| 9 September 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–1 | 19,214 | Willems, Flynn |
| 14 September 1996 | Sunderland | H | 1–0 | 17,692 | Asanović (pen) |
| 21 September 1996 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 | 23,487 | |
| 28 September 1996 | Wimbledon | H | 0–2 | 17,022 | |
| 12 October 1996 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 18,092 | |
| 19 October 1996 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–1 | 27,771 | Dailly |
| 27 October 1996 | Liverpool | A | 1–2 | 39,515 | Ward |
| 2 November 1996 | Leicester City | H | 2–0 | 18,010 | Ward, Whitlow (own goal) |
| 17 November 1996 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 | 17,350 | Asanović, Vickers (own goal) |
| 23 November 1996 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | 24,576 | Sturridge |
| 30 November 1996 | Coventry City | H | 2–1 | 18,042 | Asanović (pen), Ward |
| 7 December 1996 | Arsenal | A | 2–2 | 38,018 | Sturridge, Powell |
| 16 December 1996 | Everton | H | 0–1 | 17,252 | |
| 21 December 1996 | Southampton | A | 1–3 | 14,901 | Dailly |
| 26 December 1996 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 22,512 | |
| 28 December 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0–0 | 17,847 | |
| 11 January 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 1–1 | 11,467 | Willems |
| 18 January 1997 | Chelsea | A | 1–3 | 27,639 | Asanović |
| 29 January 1997 | Leeds United | A | 0–0 | 27,523 | |
| 1 February 1997 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 18,102 | |
| 15 February 1997 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | 18,057 | Asanović (pen) |
| 19 February 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–2 | 18,060 | Sturridge, Štimac |
| 22 February 1997 | Leicester City | A | 2–4 | 20,323 | Sturridge (2) |
| 1 March 1997 | Chelsea | H | 3–2 | 18,039 | Minto (own goal), Asanović, Ward |
| 5 March 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–6 | 29,739 | Simpson |
| 15 March 1997 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 32,140 | |
| 22 March 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 4–2 | 18,083 | van der Laan, Trollope, Sturridge, Ward |
| 5 April 1997 | Manchester United | A | 3–2 | 55,243 | Ward, Wanchope, Sturridge |
| 9 April 1997 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 17,839 | Ward |
| 12 April 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 2–1 | 18,071 | Rowett, van der Laan |
| 19 April 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 1–3 | 36,550 | Sturridge |
| 23 April 1997 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–0 | 18,087 | |
| 3 May 1997 | Coventry City | A | 2–1 | 22,854 | Burrows (own goal), Sturridge |
| 11 May 1997 | Arsenal | H | 1–3 | 18,287 | Ward |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 21 January 1997 | Gillingham | A | 2–0 | 9,508 | Willems, van der Laan |
| R4 | 25 January 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 3–1 | 17,977 | van der Laan, Sturridge, Willems |
| R5 | 26 February 1997 | Coventry City | H | 3–2 | 18,003 | Ward, van der Laan, Sturridge |
| QF | 8 March 1997 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–2 | 17,567 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 1st Leg | 17 September 1996 | Luton Town | A | 0–1 | 4,459 | |
| R2 2nd Leg | 25 September 1996 | Luton Town | H | 2–2 (lost 2–3 on agg) | 13,569 | Sturridge, Simpson |
Players
First-team squad
- Squad at end of season[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve squad
- The following players did not appear for the first team this season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Statistics
Starting 11
- GK: #1,
Russell Hoult, 31 - RB: #2, Gary Rowett, 35
- CB: #27,
Paul McGrath, 23 - CB: #22,
Christian Dailly, 31 - CB: #16,
Jacob Laursen, 35 - LB: #3, Chris Powell, 35
- CM: #6,
Igor Štimac, 21 - CM: #10, Aljoša Asanović, 34
- CM: #4, Darryl Powell, 27
- CF: 8, Dean Sturridge, 29
- CF: #12, Ashley Ward, 25
Notes
- Carsley was born in Birmingham, England, but qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally through his grandmother and represented them at U-21 and B level before making his international debut for Ireland in October 1997.
- McGrath was born in Ealing, England to an Irish mother and Nigerian father, but was raised in the Republic of Ireland and made his international debut for Ireland in 1985.