Derby County suffered relegation from the Championship this season despite the team’s late attempts at a great escape.

Wayne Rooney’s team were deducted 21 points due to going into administration in September.

That all but sealed the side’s fate for the campaign, as the Rams now must prepare for life in League One.

It has been a difficult few years for the club, having gone from losing a play-off final to Aston Villa to fighting against relegation to now being unable to avoid the drop.

The team almost managed a miraculous escape, finishing just seven points short of safety.

A new owner has yet to be confirmed, but American businessman Chris Kirchner is nearing ever closer to taking over the Rams.

That would be the dawn of a new era for Derby, who will be hoping to bounce straight back into the second division.

For now, here is the combined Derby XI using players from the last five seasons… 

Allsop performed admirably under difficult circumstances at Derby and played his part in helping the team battle against relegation.

The 29-year old joined the club in 2021 but is now likely to depart just 12 months on but having enhanced his reputation greatly.

Allsop has previously played for Wycombe Wanderers and Bournemouth, with loan spells at Coventry City, Blackpool and Portsmouth.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the goalkeeper, but he will be remembered fondly by the Pride Park faithful.

Forsyth has been a constant presence in the Derby squad for many years having joined the club in 2018.

The full-back has played over 200 times for the Rams and has seen everything there is to see at this level.

The 33-year old has been there through play-off final defeats and a relegation, and will leave a legacy behind as a useful squad player during his time at Pride Park.

The Scot played 26 times in the Championship this season.

Davies has established himself at the heart of the Derby defence over the years.

The centre-back has become one of the most important members of the squad and was a dressing room leader under Rooney.

While it is likely that this was his last season at Pride Park, he will be remembered fondly for his fine performances with the Rams.

To emphasise his importance, he was the only player to compete in all 46 Championship games for the side this campaign, and he will be sorely missed if he exits this summer.

Clarke put in a number of impressive performances for Derby during his time with the club.

While he was only with the club for one season, his impact was obvious as part of Rooney’s side as the team just barely avoided the drop.

Those performances earned him a move to West Brom, who were set to compete for automatic promotion under Valerien Ismael.

If the club wasn’t in such financial dire straits then perhaps the centre-back could have gone on to enjoy a much longer stay with Derby.

Bogle was an exciting young player who came through at Pride Park and earned a lot of plaudits for his performances.

His league debut came at only 18-years old, as the right-back quickly asserted himself as a key player in the squad.

The youngster’s performances caught the eye of top level teams, which led to his exit as he departed for Sheffield United in 2020.

If the club had been able to keep the 21-year old then perhaps the club could’ve avoided relegation for another season.

Lawrence’s performances in the last five years have been the highest quality that Derby fans would have hoped for.

While it appears that his time with the club is set to come to an anticlimactic end this summer, fans will remember his time at Pride Park fondly. 

The 28-year old managed 36 league goals over the last five years and played a significant role in helping the side to a play-off final and their survival in 2020-21.

Huddlestone has had a long and successful career playing at the highest level of club football.

His final stint with Derby saw him start as one of the side’s most important players on the pitch before transitioning into a dressing room leader as off-the-field issues became more and more apparent.

The midfielder showed his talent and experience in his three years back at the club and became a firm fan favourite during that time at Pride Park.

Bird proved himself to be a very capable midfielder when he broke through at Derby initially.

Over time his importance to the side has grown and by the age of 20-years old he became one of the first names on the team sheet under Rooney.

His performances have improved so much in the last few years and he has become a real leader on the pitch for the team.

Bird is a player with a bright future ahead of him and is a firm fan favourite at Pride Park.

Wilson enjoyed only one season at Pride Park, but showed so much talent and ability in that time.

The Liverpool winger performed admirably and was a key player in Frank Lampard’s side which earned a trip to Wembley Stadium.

The Welsh man scored 15 goals and earned seven assists in 40 league appearances, catching the attention of many.

Most impressively was his strike in the League Cup at Old Trafford as the Rams eliminated Manchester United from the competition.

Mount arrived at Derby with little fanfare having yet to establish himself at senior level.

But it only took one season with the Rams for his reputation to be enhanced massively under Lampard.

Mount was a crucial player in the side that finished 6th in the table and only narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.

Since then he has grown into an experienced Premier League player and an England international, winning a Champions League title in the process.

Kazim-Richards has struggled to really settle down at any single club throughout his career, bouncing around clubs on a near-annual basis.

However, Pride Park has become a home for him to show off his football talents in recent seasons.

The veteran striker has become an important player in Rooney’s side, scoring 11 league goals as the team battles against relegation.

His experience and leadership has been invaluable to his teammates and his goal scoring instincts are still present even at 35-years old.