Derby County held their end of season dance for players, backroom staff and wives. It started with an opening speech from chairman of the club and owners GSE, Andrew Appleby:
Andrew Appleby, chairman
'Good evening ladies and gentlemen. It's an honour and privilege to open this seasons event and to be able to thank the staff and players for all their efforts this season. As you know, we have done an amazing job this year and for it to end with promotion to Division 1 exceeded all expectations. The work done behind the scenes and on the park has taken our club to a new level and it's a level we want to be at for a long time. I am positive we have the right people at the club to make the future a successful one. I and the rest of the board members would like to thank everyone at the club for their efforts and I hope you have a fantastic evening. Thank you'
The night continued with live music from The Midnight Cabaret Band before a break for the top class buffet provided by Skyline Catering.
The Midnight Cabaret Band
After the buffet, it was time for the awards. The following awards were presented:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: CRAIG BRYSON
Craig was the club's top scorer with 17 goals from 34 games and would probably have had more if he hadn't picked up an injury that ruled him out of the last 5 games of the season.
Craig Bryson
YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR: FREDERIK SORENSEN
Frederik signed on December 8 from Swedish club Sonderjyske and made an immediate impact in the centre of the Derby defence. He was instrumental in keeping the defence solid and was an inspiration to other players with his confidence and ability. He played 18 games and was named in the Division 2 team of the week on three occasions.
Frederik Sorensen
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR: NATHAN BAKER
23yo Nathan had a solid season and the improvement from last season was well documented in the local Derby Telegraph, where he was heavily praised for his performances in defence. He made 35 appearances, mainly at centre back but also as cover at left back. Could be a vital player in Division 1 with Derby expected to be under pressure in many games.
Nathan Baker
They were the main awards in a night that also seen a team award from shirt sponsors Just Eat for the 7-1 win at Doncaster Rovers and an award presented by president Sam Rush to Craig Bryson for making his 150th appearance for the club during Season 5. Craig has now played 167 times.
Sam Rush - President
There was more music and dancing to the band before manager Gordon Kinnear took the stand.
'Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I hope you are all having a great night. I just want to say a few words about the season we have had. I have been overawed and amazed at the attitude of this team for the whole season. At the start we had a group of players that were expected to stay around the middle of the table but an incredible show of determination and character seen us go 13 games unbeaten and all of a sudden we were challenging for promotion. Our first loss was expected to be the start of a struggling period. With the bubble burst we managed two wins from the next five games but we were still up at the right end of the table. Four wins in a row followed and we along with Blackburn and Leeds were favourites to go up. We were about to hit a patch that raised doubts over our chances of promotion. We lost 5-2 at Blackburn and there is no doubt that result left us in shock. The players struggled to get over it and a home defeat to Sunderland was quickly followed by a defeat at Norwich. Three defeats in a row left us trailing Blackburn and Leeds and they two sides were our next opponents. It was make or break for us as we hosted first Blackburn and then Leeds at the Ipro. Blackburn were too strong for us and we went down 3-1. They were hot favourites for promotion with ourselves and Leeds expected to battle it out for second. We had to beat Leeds in the next game or else it would be an uphill struggle. The lads put on a fantastic performance and our patched up side won 3-2 with young Alban Bunjaku scoring the winner. For Alban, this was his biggest event of the season. He came on as a substitute and scored possibly the most valuable goal in our season. It was his only appearance of the whole year but if he continues to improve as he is doing then he is a name to watch out for at Derby. That result sparked a run in which we lost just one of the next nine games and we were neck and neck with Leeds for that second promotion place. A loss at Ipswich put us under pressure but we showed plenty of fight and determination to take 13 points from our next five games as Leeds started to wilt. A disappointing loss at home to Southampton was softened by a loss for Leeds to Blackburn. We went to Preston knowing a win would give us promotion. The players attitude was un beatable and we romped to a 4-0 win and a place in Division 1. A superb season was rewarded and I can't thank the players and my backroom team enough for the way they handled everything that was thrown at us. I would like everyone to raise their glass to the players and staff of Derby County FC and drink to their fantastic success this season. Cheers. Thank you'
Unlikely hero Alban Bunjaku
The night finished with more dancing to a local DJ before players, backroom staff and wives started to head for home. A great night to celebrate a great season.
Great stuff Gino, was a great race in div 2 and best of luck for next season!
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