Derby County are safe in the Championship for another season after a pulsating encounter at Pride Park against Sheffield Wednesday.

There were many twists and turns on the day, including hundreds of miles away at Cardiff City where fellow relegation candidates Rotherham United were playing.

Both the Rams and the Owls really needed a win just to be sure of their safety, and even if the Owls came out on top Rotherham could have spoilt the party, and it looked like that would be the case for a while as the Millers led against Cardiff for most of the game.

Meanwhile in Derbyshire it was Wednesday who were leading at half-time, only for County to turn the game on its head early in the second half - a lead which they lost as goals on 62 and 69 minutes put the visitors 3-2 up.

But just as Martyn Waghorn levelled the game from the spot for Derby, Rotherham conceded a late goal in South Wales, and with all results staying the same after that it meant the Rams stayed up.

That would have been a big relief to Erik Alonso who is waiting for approval to become the new owner of the club, and this week he had to take to national radio to confirm that the takeover is still on.

The Spaniard was clearly watching on from somewhere as he tweeted a brief message following the game, with just five words summing up his mood as Wayne Rooney secured the club's safety.

The Verdict

With Championship football now secured after a tough end to the season, this takeover now needs to go through to calm Derby fans' fears.

The saga has gone on for far too long now, starting with Sheikh Khaled and this past week's rumours that the deal was on the rocks wouldn't have helped anyone.

If Alonso is true to his word, Rooney will be getting backed handsomely next season once the deal is done and good times may be around the corner once again after a season of struggle.