1991–92 Derby County F.C. season

During the 1991–92 English football season, Derby County F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division, following relegation from the First Division the previous season.

Derby County

1991–92 season
Chairman	Lionel Pickering
Manager	Arthur Cox
Stadium	Baseball Ground
Second Division	3rd
Playoffs	Semi-finals
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Third round
Home colours Away colours

Season summary

Despite the loss of key players like Mark Wright and Dean Saunders, Derby County emerged as genuine contenders for an automatic return to English football's top flight (which would be renamed the FA Premier League from the start of the next season) after the takeover by Lionel Pickering made Derby one of the richest clubs in the Second Division. Derby smashed their transfer record twice during the season, signing striker Paul Kitson for £1.3 million from East Midlands rivals Leicester City in March, followed by the signing of striker Tommy Johnson from First Division strugglers Notts County for the same fee. Club legend Bobby Davison was also re-signed, on loan from Leeds United; he scored 8 goals in 10 games to reach a century of goals for the Rams. However, in spite of this flurry of transfer activity and breaking the club's record for away wins (12) Derby were unable to gain automatic promotion, finishing two points adrift of second-placed Middlesbrough. Derby qualified for the playoffs, but were knocked out in the semi-finals by Blackburn Rovers on a 5–4 scoreline over two legs.

At the end of the season, Scottish winger Ted McMinn was named the club's player of the season.

November saw the death of former chairman Robert Maxwell, who had just sold the club to Lionel Pickering earlier in the year. Maxwell disappeared from his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, while it was cruising off the Canary Islands; his body was later found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean. His death was officially ruled as accidental drowning after he supposedly fell off the yacht, though commentators have alleged it was murder or suicide.

Kit

Derby's kit was manufactured by English company Umbro and were sponsored by Auto Windscreens.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	ENG	Peter Shilton
—	GK	ENG	Steve Sutton
—	GK	ENG	Martin Taylor
—	DF	ENG	Simon Coleman
—	DF	ENG	Andy Comyn
—	DF	ENG	Steve Cross
—	DF	ENG	Jonathan Davidson
—	DF	ENG	Michael Forsyth
—	DF	ENG	Jason Kavanagh
—	DF	ENG	Shane Nicholson
—	DF	ENG	Mark Patterson
—	DF	ENG	Steve Round
—	DF	ENG	Mel Sage
—	DF	ENG	Paul Williams

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ENG	Martin Chalk
—	MF	ENG	Tom Curtis
—	MF	ENG	Steve Hayward
—	MF	ENG	Gary Micklewhite
—	MF	ENG	Craig Ramage
—	MF	ENG	Paul Simpson (from February)
—	MF	WAL	Geraint Williams
—	MF	SCO	Ted McMinn
—	FW	ENG	Marco Gabbiadini
—	FW	ENG	Tommy Johnson
—	FW	ENG	Paul Kitson (from March)
—	FW	ENG	Mark Stallard
—	FW	ENG	Dean Sturridge
—	FW	ENG	Jason White

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ENG	Nick Pickering (to Darlington)
—	FW	ENG	Phil Gee (to Leicester City)
—	FW	ENG	Mick Harford (to Luton Town)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	FW	ENG	Ian Ormondroyd (to Leicester City)
—	FW	ENG	Bobby Davison (on loan from Leeds United)

Transfers

In

• Marco Gabbiadini – Crystal Palace, £1,000,000
• Paul Simpson – Oxford United, £500,000, February
• Paul Kitson – Leicester City, £1,300,000, March
• Tommy Johnson – Notts County, £1,300,000, March
• Bobby Davison – Leeds United, loan

Out

• Mark Wright – Liverpool, £2,500,000, 15 July (national record for defender)
• Dean Saunders – Liverpool, £2,900,000, 19 July (national record for any player)
• Phil Gee – Leicester City, part-exchange for Kitson, March
• Ian Ormondroyd – Leicester City, part-exchange for Kitson, March

Results

Football League Second Division

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Ipswich Town (C, P)	46	24	12	10	70	50	+20	84	Promotion to the Premier League
2	Middlesbrough (P)	46	23	11	12	58	41	+17	80
3	Derby County	46	23	9	14	69	51	+18	78	Qualification for the Second Division play-offs
4	Leicester City	46	23	8	15	62	55	+7	77
5	Cambridge United	46	19	17	10	65	47	+18	74

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Matches

Second Division results

Date	Match No.	Opponents	Home/ Away	Result F–A	Derby Scorers	Attendance	Pos
17 August 1991	1	Sunderland	A	1–1			9
21 August 1991	2	Middlesbrough	H	2–0			2
24 August 1991	3	Southend United	H	1–2			7
1 September 1991	4	Charlton Athletic	A	2–0			5
4 September 1991	5	Blackburn Rovers	H	0–2			9
7 September 1991	6	Barnsley	H	1–1			11
13 September 1991	7	Cambridge United	A	0–0			8
18 September 1991	8	Oxford United	A	0–2			15
21 September 1991	9	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	3–1			11
28 September 1991	10	Newcastle United	A	2–2			13
5 October 1991	11	Bristol City	H	4–1			8
12 October 1991	12	Swindon Town	A	2–1			6
19 October 1991	13	Portsmouth	H	2–0			6
26 October 1991	14	Millwall	A	2–1			6
2 November 1991	15	Tranmere Rovers	H	0–1			7
6 November 1991	16	Port Vale	A	0–1			7
9 November 1991	17	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	3–2			6
16 November 1991	18	Ipswich Town	H	1–0			3
23 November 1991	19	Bristol Rovers	A	3–2			3
30 November 1991	20	Leicester City	H	1–2			3
7 December 1991	21	Watford	A	2–1			4
26 December 1991	22	Grimsby Town	H	0–0			5
28 December 1991	23	Charlton Athletic	H	1–2			8
1 January 1992	24	Middlesbrough	A	1–1			8
11 January 1992	25	Southend United	A	0–1			9
18 January 1992	26	Sunderland	H	1–2			11
1 February 1992	27	Portsmouth	A	1–0			11
8 February 1992	28	Millwall	H	0–2			11
11 February 1992	29	Blackburn Rovers	A	0–2			11
15 February 1992	30	Bristol Rovers	H	1–0			10
22 February 1992	31	Leicester City	A	2–1			9
29 February 1992	32	Watford	H	3–1			6
7 March 1992	33	Plymouth Argyle	A	1–1			6
11 March 1992	34	Port Vale	H	3–1			4
14 March 1992	35	Tranmere Rovers	A	3–4			5
21 March 1992	36	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	1–2			9
25 March 1992	37	Plymouth Argyle	H	2–0			5
28 March 1992	38	Ipswich Town	A	1–2			8
1 April 1992	39	Cambridge United	H	0–0			7
4 April 1992	40	Barnsley	A	3–0			5
7 April 1992	41	Grimsby Town	A	1–0			4
11 April 1992	42	Oxford United	H	2–2			5
15 April 1992	43	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	2–1			4
20 April 1992	44	Newcastle United	H	4–1			3
25 April 1992	45	Bristol City	A	2–1			3
2 May 1992	46	Swindon Town	H	2–1			3

FA Cup

• 4–6 January: Burnley 2–2 Derby County (Chalk, Comyn)
• 14–15 January: Derby County 2–0 Burnley (replay; abandoned 75' due to freezing fog) (Gee, Patterson)
• 25 January: Derby County 2–0 Burnley (replay) (Williams, Ormondroyd)
• 25–27 January: Derby County 3–4 Aston Villa (Gee 2, P. Williams)

Playoffs

• Blackburn Rovers 4–2 Derby County
• Derby County 2–1 Blackburn Rovers