Meet the opposition | Derby County
As Swansea City prepare to take on Derby County on Tuesday evening, we take a closer look at the Rams.
History
Initially founded in 1884 as an offshoot of the Derbyshire County Cricket Club, the club is one of 12 founder members of the Football League and one of just 10 clubs who have never been relegated out of the Football League system.
The 1970s provided something of a heyday for the club. They won the top-flight title twice in that decade and reached the European Cup semi-finals. Their sole FA Cup win came in 1946.
In the entirety of their 140-year history, they have only been outside of the top two flights for six seasons in total, and they returned to the second tier by securing promotion from League One at the end of the 2023-24 season.
How's their form?
The Rams are in impressive form, having won five of their last six, earning a total of 15 points. They currently sit 12th in the Championship table.
Last time out, their unbeaten run came to an end as they fell to a 3-2 defeat against Watford at Pride Park.
Who's the manager?
John Eustace joined the Rams in February and played a crucial role in guiding them to safety. When he arrived, Derby sat just above the relegation zone on goal difference, but under his leadership, they secured survival on the final day of the season, finishing 19th - one point clear of 22nd place Luton Town.
Eustace enjoyed a long-playing career, with the midfielder making over 390 league appearances for several different clubs.
His most successful spell came at Watford, where he made 157 league appearances, scored 16 goals, and was captain of the club for three seasons before leaving for Derby County.
Eustace started his managerial career in 2016, when he was appointed manager of National League side Kidderminster Harriers. He led the side to two play-off campaigns while transforming the their style of play.
Eustace then left the club to join Queens Park Rangers where he would become assistant to former England manager Steve McClaren.
He also had a brief spell as caretaker manager at the R's and helped them avoid relegation in 2019.
He was then appointed head coach of Championship side Birmingham City in 2022 where he guided the club to their highest points tally since 2016.
Eustace left the club in October 2023 with the Blues in sixth place with 18 points from 11 matches, before being appointed by Rovers four months later.
He did an outstanding job to turn the Lancashire side into top-six contenders, before deciding to move to the Rams.
Who's the captain?
Lewis Travis. Summer recruit Travis was brought in by Eustace from his former club Blackburn Rovers and was given the captaincy soon after arriving at Pride Park.
Travis came through at Liverpool as a defender, but transitioned under Tony Mobray once joining Blackburn in 2014, as more of a midfield role.
The now midfielder made his senior debut three years later, in an EFL Trophy defeat to Stoke City Under-21s and broke into the first team 18 months later.
He had his first taste of senior captaincy in September 2021 after Darragh Lenihan was missing through injury, before being appointed club captain the following summer, four months after signing a long term contract until 2026.
Travis made over 200 league appearances for Rovers during his decade at the club, whilst also having a short loan spell during the second half of the 2023-24 where he joined Ipswich Town, helping them reach the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
He then got his move to Pride Park to reunite with his old manager Eustace in August, and has so far made six league appearances for the Rams.
Who are the key men?
Carlton Morris is among the leading goalscorers in the Championship this season, with ten goals to his name in 15 appearances so far.
The forward signed from Luton this summer, after spending three years with the Hatters, helping them reach the Premier League for the first time in their history.
An academy graduate of Norwich City, the forward had several loan spells during his time at Carrow Road, such as Oxford, York, Hamilton, Rotherham, Shrewsbury, Rotherham and MK Dons where he played under former Swans bosses Russell Martin and Luke Williams at the latter.
Morris joined Barnsley in January 2021 and featured in both legs of their play-off semi-final defeat to Swansea during the 2020–21 season.
The 29-year-old joined Luton in the summer of 2022, where he made over a century of appearances at Kenilworth Road, scoring 20 goals in their Premier League promotion winning season and left the club after their relegation to League One at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Matt Clarke has been a rock in the Rams’ defence this season, playing every minute of their league campaign so far.
Suffolk-born Clarke joined Ipswich’s academy at under-7s and progressed through the ranks before signing a scholarship in 2013. He made his first-team debut the following summer and signed his first professional contract in September 2014.
The defender then joined Portsmouth following a successful loan spell, making over 120 league appearances for Pompey. He formed a solid partnership with Swans central defender Cameron Burgess and helped the club secure the 2016–17 League Two title.
Clarke then secured a big move to Brighton & Hove Albion but did not make a senior appearance for the Seagulls. During his time on the south coast, he had two loan spells — first at Derby, where he won the club’s Player of the Season award, and then at West Bromwich Albion during the 2021–22 season.
A two and a half year spell at Middlesbrough followed, before rejoining Derby in the January transfer window.
Callum Elder has been one of the Rams’ highest-rated players this season, earning a WhoScored rating of 7.00.
The left-back was born in Sydney, Australia where he played his football up until the age of 16 when he would then join Leicester City in 2013.
Without making a senior appearance for the Foxes, Elder – like his teammate Morris – spent his early career gaining experience through several loan spells, representing Mansfield Town, Peterborough United, Brentford, Barnsley, Wigan Athletic, and Ipswich Town.
The defender earned a permanent move in 2019, joining Championship side Hull City, where he was reunited with former manager Grant McCann, whom he had previously played under at Peterborough United. Elder went on to make 115 league appearances over nearly four years with the Tigers.
Elder joined the Rams in the summer of 2023 and played a key role in their promotion to the Championship, as Derby finished League One runners-up in his debut season. He has also opened his account for the club this campaign, scoring in a 5-3 defeat to Coventry City back in August.
The Australian has one senior cap for his country, which came in a 3-0 friendly victory over China back in 2021.