Derby County: Promotion hero simply must capitalise on Jerry Yates blow v Swansea City | OneFootball

Jerry Yates is unavailable against the Swans on Wednesday evening, and James Collins may be given the chance to start.

Derby County will be hoping to taste victory at home for the first time since early October on Wednesday evening when they welcome Swansea City to Pride Park Stadium.

It's been an inconsistent few weeks for Paul Warne's side, but they will be boosted by the fact that they climbed one place to 11th on Saturday afternoon after they drew 1-1 away to Preston North End.

The Rams are currently on a three-match unbeaten streak, however, wins have been difficult to come by recently. The East Midlands club have won just one of their last seven matches, but they do remain a tough side to beat.

Nevertheless, their mid-week clash against a fellow mid-table side will be one that they go into without their top scorer, Jerry Yates, who is unavailable due to playing for Derby on loan from Swansea. But, it does give one member of their squad the opportunity to impress his manager.

James Collins may be given the chance to start

Over the last few weeks, the Rams have operated with a 5-3-2 formation, utilising two strikers. Yates has played alongside the 19-year-old Dajaune Brown, who has been a welcome feature in the starting XI. However, asking the youngster to start on his own in the Championship could be a step too far right now.

That is why Wednesday is the perfect opportunity for James Collins to get himself back into Warne's plans and show why he should not be seen as an after-thought. The 33-year-old scored 19 goals in all competitions last season to help Derby to promotion back to the Championship, but in 2024/25, he has been used mostly as a substitute.

He started against Middlesbrough in his side's first home match of the campaign, but has featured sparingly since, with Yates' performances making him undroppable so far.

However, Collins could well be back in the fold, and he must use this opportunity as the chance to show Warne that he still has the ability to have an impact in the second tier. While he will not replace Yates going forward, he can show that he can be relied upon in important moments, and that he must feature more.

The former Cardiff City man will be boosted by playing against one of his ex-rivals, and he may use that as further motivation to get himself his first goal since the final day of 2023/24, when he volleyed home to secure promotion against Carlisle United.

Yates will be a huge miss for Derby

The Rams will have to work out a way to perform without their star attacker at Pride Park on Wednesday, with Yates now on four goals for the season.

He scored his third in three matches against Preston at the weekend, after opening the scoring against Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle before the international break.

The 28-year-old had struggled for goals in the opening weeks of the campaign, but he has found form quickly, and he has finally been rewarded for the performances that he has put in so far. His link-up play has been a joy to watch, and he has quickly gelled with his teammates in DE24.

Warne knows that this game against Swansea will be a difficult one for Derby, but with a striker raring to go on the sidelines, he may just have a surprise for the South Wales club.