During the 2004–05 English football season,

Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

competed in the

Football League Championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the En ...

Season summary

With little money to spend, Burley played the markets and made two key free signings in

Iñigo Idiakez Iñigo Idiakez Barkaiztegi (born 8 November 1973) is a Spanish former footballer who played as a midfielder or forward, and is a manager. Beginning his career at Real Sociedad, he appeared in 254 official matches during his tenure while compet ...

and

Grzegorz Rasiak Grzegorz Rasiak (; born 12 January 1979) is a Polish former professional footballer. After starting his career in his native Poland, Rasiak moved to England with Derby County in 2004. He subsequently had a spell with Tottenham Hotspur before jo ...

. Idiakez was voted the club's Player of the Season and Rasiak finished top scorer (with 17 goals) as Derby confounded their form of the last 5 years to grab a fourth-placed finish in the newly rebranded

and entrance into the 2004–05 play-offs. With a more settled side than he was previously allowed – Burley only used 24 players, 7 of whom were involved in 10 or less games – and a strong mix of academy graduates (

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's ''Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Dougl ...

Pablo Mills Pablo Simeon Ishmael Mills (born 27 May 1984) is an English footballer. He predominantly plays as a midfielder or defender who plays for Mickleover Sports. Club career Mills joined Derby County as a 14-year-old, turning professional at 18. In ...

Tom Huddlestone Thomas Andrew Huddlestone (born 28 December 1986) is an English professional Association football, footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and coach for Premier League club Manchester United F.C., Manchester United. Having progressed th ...

Marcus Tudgay Marcus Tudgay (born 3 February 1983) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for South Normanton Athletic. He has played in the English Football League for Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Barnsley, C ...

) and inspired purchases (Rasiak, Idiakez, Tommy Smith) Derby enjoyed a splendid second half to the season, recording just 6 defeats in their final 24 fixtures, including a run of 1 defeat in 14, and equalled the club record for away wins in a season and setting a club record of 6 consecutive away victories. However, the club entered the play-offs without the presence of key duo Rasiak and Idiakez – both unavailable through injury – and a 2–0 defeat in the first leg away to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

proved impossible to overturn in the second leg at Pride Park, which finished 0–0 in front of a crowd of over 31,000. Behind the scenes, circumstances were deteriorating, and Burley left his position, citing interference from football agent turned Director of Football

Murdo Mackay Murdo John MacKay (August 8, 1916 – August 8, 2000) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward. MacKay played 14 regular season games and 15 playoff games in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canad ...

, and the sale of Huddlestone, to

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

, against his wishes. Financial circumstances were worsening as the debt spiralled to over £30m, despite Burley building success on the pitch without any transfer funds. A refinancing scheme was put in place which saw Pride Park sold to the "mysterious"

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

-based ABC Corporation and the club paying rent of £1m a year to play there, which local journalist Gerald Mortimer described as "an affront . . . to those who put everything into building (the ground)."

Season summary

Final league table

Results

Legend

Football League Championship

Championship play-offs

FA Cup

League Cup

Squad

Left club during season

References

Notes