Derby County promoted back to Championship after victory over Carlisle
It has been two years since the Rams were docked 21 points
Last updated 27th Apr 2024
Derby County have been promoted back to the Championship for the first time in two years after a thrilling match against Carlisle.
Going into the game, the Rams were in second place in the ranking, only behind current leaders Portsmouth.
However, with the final set of games being played on Saturday, it was important to secure at least a draw for the team in their clash against Carlisle in order to ensure promotion to the Championship.
As the game kicked off, Derby came out swinging, with Max Bird giving fans a shot at hope that the promotion was all but sealed, after he scored in just the fifth minute.
Despite good defending from Carlisle, the Blues were unable to keep Derby away for that long as James Collins was able to chip the ball into the back of the net in the sixtieth minute of the match.
At the blow of the final whistle, fans of the Rams invaded the pitch in an emotional display as it meant that Derby County would be back in the Championship after two years.
In 2022, tough times for the club were many - with the management going into administration.
This drastically affected the team's performance and left them falling out of the Championship, as well as being slapped with a 21-point deduction.
However, manager Paul Warne admitted he was happy with the result, but said that there could have been better gameplay from his side.
"I was really nervy," he explained. "I knew Carlisle would make it difficult; we didn't playing our best.
"The scores kept coming through my ears. It wasn't a game to enjoy but obviously the last 15, 20 minutes I thought, 'We'd do well to mess this up!'"
He finished by saying: "So overall, really pleased and really proud of what everyone has done here."
This now means that Derby County will be playing among the new ranks of the Championship, whilst Carlisle - having finished bottom of the league, will be relegated to League Two.