It's mission accomplished as Rams stay clear of trapdoor

DERBY County secured their Championship safety after a goalless draw against Stoke City at Pride Park Stadium as Luton Town hurtled through the trapdoor to League One.

- By LEIGH CURTIS

On what was a gripping final day at the bottom of the table, the first 25 minutes served up by these sides was tense, perhaps reflecting some final-day anxiety.

Neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in the first quarter but as the game ticked beyond the half-hour mark, the Rams started to build up a head of steam.

Craig Forsyth headed a Kane Wilson cross over the bar before the best chance of the first half came when Sondre Langas saw a header brilliantly saved by Viktor Johansson after he had met a Harrison Armstrong centre.

Stoke had not offered much threat themselves but when Bae Jun-Ho fired a pass into the run of Sam Gallagher, Harrison Armstrong made a superb tackle to deny the forward an opportunity to shoot.

After the break Armstrong powered a strike into the arms of Stoke's goalkeeper as the Rams pushed for a breakthrough. But they were fortunate when Ali Al-Hamadi burst into the area only to be denied by a superb save from Josh Vickers.

Eustace sent on Nathaniel Mendez-Laing with 25 minutes remaining as Kane Wilson saw a shot deflected wide of the post with five minutes remaining.

Incredibly, the Rams hit the bar twice in the space of 30 seconds, with Yates seeing an effort hit the woodwork before Nat Phillips did the same.

But those misses didn't matter as the Rams secured their second-tier status.

Mission completed

When the Rams were seven points adrift of safety in March and rooted to the foot of the table, not many gave them a prayer of salvaging their Championship status.

Indeed, some felt the remainder of the campaign would merely be a funeral march into League One given there were only 11 games left to rescue the season.

But at the end of what has been a long, arduous and, at times, very testing campaign, Derby completed their remarkable escape without being dragged into any drama.