Derby County lost to Sheffield United on Saturday as their hopes of reaching the play-offs ended on the final day of the season
08:00, 03 May 2026Updated 11:23, 05 May 2026
Carlton Morris of Derby County thanks the fans at the end of the match.
Derby County’s dream of reaching the Championship play-offs is over as Hull City snatched a top-six place on a day of high drama.
Derby needed to beat United and hope that Hull and Wrexham dropped points and while Middlesbrough kept their side of the bargain by drawing 2-2, Hull came from behind to beat the Canaries.
At half-time, however, Derby were actually in the top six after coasting to a 1-0 lead against the Blades They could have been ahead inside two minutes when Sam Szmodics raced through with Ben Brereton Diaz in support.
A square pass would have teed it up for his team-mate but the striker went alone and tried to bend around the outstretched Adam Davies but it agonisingly crept past the post.
Derby continued to ask serious questions of the United defence as Jaydon Banel came close to latching onto a knockdown from Carlton Morris in the six-yard box.
The visitors were struggling to stem the tide and eventually they capsized when Jaydon Banel’s cross took a deflection off a United player allowing Szmodics to tap in.
Pride Park exploded with emotion but United had their chance when Gus Hamer brought a save from Jacob Widell Zetterstrom with a free-kick from just outside the box.
As news filtered around the ground that Derby were in the play-offs with scores going their way elsewhere, you could sense the excitement.
But United were level when a poor back pass from Joe Ward was seized upon and it ended with Tom Cannon firing in the equaliser.
Sydie Peck then put Chris Wilder’s side in front with a wonderful finish from 20 yards to send Pride Park into silence. And once news filtered through that Hull were in front, the hope evaporated.
Jacob Widell Zetterstrom then made a good save from Danny Ings to keep it to 2-1 as the Blades secured all three points.
Here are all the talking points….
The end, but also the start
For the first 45 minutes, the stars seemed to have aligned. Hull and Wrexham were being held by Norwich and Middlesbrough, Derby were sitting pretty in the top six, and all was well with the world.
At that stage, hopes of a lottery ticket, in the guise of a play-off place and a chance of promotion to the Premier League, were no longer considered a pipedream.
Pride Park bounced. The fans believed. But as is so often the case, it is the hope that kills you. Forty-five minutes later, however, a 1-0 lead had transformed into a 2-1 defeat, and the game was up.
In any case, it didn’t matter because Hull came from behind to beat Norwich, meaning that even a victory here would not have been enough to burst through the door to the top six.
It was, of course, always out of Derby’s hands, given they were a point behind their nearest rivals, leading a supercomputer to give them a 22 per cent chance of reaching the play-offs.
But at the end of this dramatic afternoon, the reaction on the terraces told its own story. Heads did not bow. Instead, there was a wave of pride at a season which, since that opening day defeat on a balmy afternoon at Stoke, has defied expectation.
Progress had been the buzzword throughout last summer, and Derby have delivered plenty of it. From fighting against relegation this time last year to fighting it out at the other end 12 months later, it’s been a season that has given us plenty of memories. The 5-0 win at Bristol City, the comeback at QPR and giving Stoke the ‘ole’ treatment followed by the multi-pass move that was one of the goals of the season.
And so as the fans drifted away from Pride Park, Derby may have lost the game on paper, but they still felt like winners. The end of their bid to reach the play-offs, it may have been, but at the same time, it also felt like the start of something special.
Derby to act swiftly
John Eustace did not take long to signal his intent about how he wants this summer to look for Derby and they won’t be hanging around.
There is a desire to get business done as early as possible, and Eustace wants to see intent. They have the nucleus of a very good team, underpinned by some excellent loan signings, of whom Eustace wants to keep as many as possible.
Bobby Clark and Ben Brereton Diaz are among them, and given their progress, you sense other players will want to be part of the journey.
“It’s important we start straight away,” said Eustace.
“There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes in the last month or so, which is great. But it’s really important that we do the business and we sign with intent. The fans will expect it, and we expect it as staff, as will the players.
“The buzz about the football club is there, so let’s not disappoint. I’m not saying that we spend millions and millions of pounds like a lot of other teams, but that we do our business correctly, and we just keep gradually laying good foundations moving forward.”
Squad depth to be improved
Having exceeded all expectations but ultimately falling short of the top six, the obvious question is, how will Derby bridge that gap?
Squad depth is an area ripe for improvement and there must have been some envious glances at United’s bench and others in recent weeks. Injuries haven’t helped, of course, but Eustace has been limited in the quality he’s been able to send on from the bench.
Six of the nine subs here were a goalkeeper, two centre-backs, a full-back and two academy players. That’s not going to change a game for you offensively.
Thirty to forty years ago, it was always about the strength of your starting XI, but now it’s a squad game. There will be some big decisions to be made, not just for the players out of contract, but also for those who still have time left on their deals.
In that bracket, you can put Kenzo Goudmijn and Ryan Nyambe, who have been on loan at Go Ahead Eagles and Reading, respectively.
Adding to the wide areas is also a priority, while there are debates to be had about the centre of midfield, too. And do Derby need to sign a forward to help offset the loss of Patrick Agyemang until Christmas?
There’s a lot of work ahead, but Eustace wants to be in a position where he can replace like-for-like. If they can do that, then there is no reason why eighth can’t become sixth or even higher next season.
A brilliant atmosphere
As much as Eustace has shown what a good manager he is through his coaching, he has also built a tremendous rapport between the players and the fans.
That’s not always easy to do, but it started last season and has continued to improve over the last 12 months. The noise generated here leading up to kick-off made the hairs stand up on the neck, and that’s because they’ve been given a team of which they can be proud.
Eustace spoke glowingly of the unity and said: “When I came in, obviously we were very down. We were in a position where we were probably going to get relegated so the effort that everyone connected with the club has put in to get to where we are now has been fantastic.
“Everyone’s played a huge part in that. I think there’s a real connection between the players and the fans now and Derby’s a fantastic football club.
“That’s the reason I came here. Great history, a fantastic fan base. Great facilities, great stadium, and I think the fans really got that connection with what we’re trying to do here.
“They’re all in. I can see that progression, and I’m glad we could give them a really positive season this year. They’re really excited about next season, and if we’re all one together, it can certainly get you a long way.”
He’s not wrong there.