Boss Paul Jewell returns to his former club Derby as the Blues start their Easter fixtures at Pride Park on Saturday. The Town manager was with the Rams from November 2007 to December 2008 but managed only 12 wins in his 58 games in charge.
The sides sit a point and a place apart with Derby ahead in 13th on 56 with Jewell feeling there are comparisons between the clubs both this campaign and more generally: “I think us and Derby have been quite similar, although they set off like a house on fire at the start of the season, then hit a bit of a barren spell but have come back of late.
“It’s a great football club Derby, great support, great people who work there, very similar to here. It’s all geared up for top class football, great facilities, same as here. But there are about 14 or 15 clubs in the division who think the same.
“I had a bad time there as far as results went, but I had a great time working there because it was a great club, really good support. But for different reasons we couldn’t turn the results around.”
The Blues boss, who has only lost once at Pride Park as a visiting manager, a 2-1 defeat in the 2004/05 FA Cup when manager of Wigan, expects some reaction to his return from Rams’ fans: “There’s always a bit of banter. I have bit of respect for the Derby supporters and great respect for their football club.
“I’ll probably get a bit of stick off some people but so be it. As long as it’s good humoured, I can always take a little bit.
“But it’s another game, it’s not about me, it’s about the team really. There’s always that added little bit of spice for the supporters, I guess, but Derby have enough on their plate to worry about me. They’re looking forward, they won’t be looking back.
“They’ll be looking forward to a strong finish to the season like we are to try and get the impetus going for next season.”
Jewell has said he’ll make changes with the two Easter games in three days coming soon after March’s run of eight matches.
However, it’s more likely he’ll switch around his personnel for Monday’s game at home to Leicester rather than against the Rams.
If that’s the case, Arran Lee-Barrett will be in goal with skipper Carlos Edwards at right-back and Aaron Cresswell on the left. Tommy Smith and Damien Delaney will continue at the centre of the defence.
Andy Drury and Grant Leadbitter are likely to keep their places at the middle of midfield with Daryl Murphy probably starting in his usual wide left role and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas on the right. Lee Martin will play behind striker Michael Chopra, who needs six goals in the final six games of the season to reach his target of 20 for the campaign.
Jewell says Luke Hyam and Josh Carson will both travel with the latter probably more likely to be on the bench than the former.
Derby will be without young striker Callum Ball due to an ankle injury. Fellow frontman Jamie Ward isn’t yet ready for a return from a thigh problem, while John Brayford (thigh), Conor Doyle (hamstring), Shaun Barker (knee), Mark O'Brien (knee) and Saul Deeney (shoulder) are also set to miss out.
Rams coach Johnny Metgod felt his side was unfortunate to lose 1-0 at Portman Road earlier in the campaign: "We were very, very unlucky at their place earlier in the season.
"It is going to be a tricky game in the way that they play; very physical and direct so you know exactly what you're going to get.
"So I think it is down to us to put in a performance similar to those in recent weeks. It really needs a good team performance and for us to put in everything we have got because they are a hard team to beat."
Historically, Town have had the better of Derby, winning 31 games (29 in the league), drawing 18 (16) and losing 23 (22).
In December, Keith Andrews’s ninth goal of his loan spell saw the Blues to a ground-out 1-0 victory over Derby County at Portman Road. The Irishman netted just after the break of a hard-fought but not always quality game.
The teams last met at Pride Park in February 2011 when Jimmy Bullard struck on his debut and then-skipper David Norris netted his eighth goal of the season as Town came from behind to win 2-1 to claim Paul Jewell’s first away victory with the Blues.
Alberto Bueno had put the Rams in front before Bullard volleyed home a spectacular equaliser prior to the break, Norris grabbing the winner in the second half.
Jewell's 13 months as manager of Derby came to an end after a 1-0 home defeat to the Blues in December 2008. Chris Hutchings was also his assistant at Pride Park and was then briefly caretaker-manager after Jewell’s resignation, before Nigel Clough was appointed. Blues scout David Hamilton also worked for Jewell at Derby.
Nathan Ellington spent 2008/09 on loan with the Rams, making 17 starts and 15 sub appearances, scoring nine goals.
Saturday’s referee is Mark Haywood from West Yorkshire, who has shown 95 yellow cards and no reds in 38 matches so far this season. His most recent Town game was the 3-0 victory at Bristol City on the opening day of the season when he kept his cards in his pocket throughout.
Squad from: Lee-Barrett, Wright, Edwards, Cresswell, Smith, Delaney, Sonko, Ainsley, Drury, Hyam, Leadbitter, Bullard, Bowyer, Stevenson, Emmanuel-Thomas, Murphy, Carson, Martin, Chopra, Scotland.
Story syndicated from TWTD.co.uk