Derby County promotion would be made all the sweeter by this Nottingham Forest development: View | OneFootball

The two big clubs in the East Midlands, Derby County and Nottingham Forest, have been polar opposites on the pitch in the last few seasons.

The Rams have in the last few seasons seen themselves drop into League One, with their relegation in 2022 being the first time they had been in the third tier of English football since 1992.

Meanwhile, their nearby neighbours Forest have had a very different time of it. Whilst Derby were relegated, 2022 saw Forest achieve promotion to the Premier League for the first time since 1999, defeating Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final.

After both staying put in their respective divisions last season, a recent development combined with matters on the pitch means we could see these fierce rivals meet once again next season.

Derby chasing and Forest fearing Championship football

The Rams are on the charge for promotion back to the Championship, currently sitting in second place in League One, four points clear of Bolton Wanderers in third.

Paul Warne’s side secured a massive three points for their promotion bid on Saturday afternoon, beating Bolton 1-0 at Pride Park to extend their lead over the Trotters in the race for automatic promotion.

On the contrary, Forest are having a poor season. They are currently in yet another battle to avoid relegation to the Championship, having stayed up last season by just four points, with a win against Arsenal in their penultimate game securing their safety.

The Reds’ last game was an away draw at relegation rivals Luton Town on Saturday afternoon, with Forest conceding in the 89th minute in what was such a pivotal game.

Points deduction puts Forest in precarious position

But the thing that has been hanging over Forest’s head the whole season has been a potential points deduction.

Their relegation-threatened rivals Everton had been fearing similar and were given a ten-point deduction earlier in the season before that got reduced to just six points after an appeal.

Forest received their long-awaited points deduction on Monday - four points have been taken off of them due to breaching the Premier League profit and sustainability rules.

An independent commission found that Forest had lost £95.5 million, which is £34.5 million more than the £61 million threshold.

This deduction has moved Forest back into the relegation zone, one point adrift from safety.

Derby will be relishing chance to play Forest again

With Derby on an upward trajectory, they will be hoping that their bitter rivals suffer relegation so that they get the chance to play them once again.

The last time they played each other in a season, both ended in draws. But Derby will want to regain the Brian Clough trophy, which Forest have held since their 2-1 victory over the Rams in January 2022.

There have been brilliant moments between the two in recent times. Their aforementioned last match involved a red card for Ravel Morrison towards the end of the game after getting himself involved in a post-match scuffle.

Derby fans treasure the memories of their 5-0 victory over Forest ten years ago, in which former Rams midfielder Craig Bryson scored a hat-trick at Pride Park.

Another game that will live long in Rams' fans' memory is their 3-2 win in 2009 in the FA Cup, when they came from 2-0 down to win. Former Red Kris Commons scored the winner, breaking Forest hearts and sending the Rams away following into raptures.

The Reds are in very poor form at the moment, having won just one of their last nine Premier League matches. Derby will be hoping that the points decision will prove too much for Forest to deal with, with the aim of recreating some of their savoured moments from previous meetings, via a promotion of their own, of course.