Curtis Davies believes that the club will learn lessons from this season.

Derby finished sixth in the regular season, which granted them a chance at achieving promotion through the play-offs. However, they came up against a top Fulham side who managed to dispatch them 2-1 on aggregate.

Davies didn't miss a single game in the entire league season, so he was a key player in this play-off push.

Gary Rowett signed him as well as Tom Huddlestone last summer after Hull City were relegated. It was a smart piece of business because they have made two starting places their own.

This is what Davies had to say about the season to RamsTV: "I said when I came here that I wanted to make the play-offs.

"When you look at the season, overall, and see how we have been up and down. That and the fact we came up against a Fulham side that really should have gone up automatically, meant it was always going to be tough over two legs.

"It was hugely disappointing to go out, but it is something that we will learn from and be stronger for next season."

The Verdict

Finishing in sixth meant they were always going to have a hard opponent because Cardiff would have been hard to break down if Fulham had been able to take advantage of their draw on the final day.

Derby approached both legs in the right way and were 45 minutes away from coming away victorious. Gary Rowett has improved them without spending much, so he deserves plaudits for that. They have a strong set-up and should be challenging for the play-offs once again next season.

Fulham were in a similar position to them last season and they learned from it, so there is nothing to suggest that the Rams can't do the same.