1991–92 Derby County F.C. season

During the 1991–92 English football season, Derby County F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division, following relegation from the First Division the previous season.

Season summary
Despite the loss of key players like Mark Wright and Dean Saunders, Derby County emerged as genuine contenders for an automatic return to English football's top flight (which would be renamed the FA Premier League from the start of the next season) after the takeover by Lionel Pickering made Derby one of the richest clubs in the Second Division. Derby smashed their transfer record twice during the season, signing striker Paul Kitson for £1.3 million from East Midlands rivals Leicester City in March, followed by the signing of striker Tommy Johnson from First Division strugglers Notts County for the same fee. Club legend Bobby Davison was also re-signed, on loan from Leeds United; he scored 8 goals in 10 games to reach a century of goals for the Rams. However, in spite of this flurry of transfer activity and breaking the club's record for away wins (12) Derby were unable to gain automatic promotion, finishing two points adrift of second-placed Middlesbrough. Derby qualified for the playoffs, but were knocked out in the semi-finals by Blackburn Rovers on a 5–4 scoreline over two legs.

At the end of the season, Scottish winger Ted McMinn was named the club's player of the season.

November saw the death of former chairman Robert Maxwell, who had just sold the club to Lionel Pickering earlier in the year. Maxwell disappeared from his luxury yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, while it was cruising off the Canary Islands; his body was later found drifting in the Atlantic Ocean. His death was officially ruled as accidental drowning after he supposedly fell off the yacht, though commentators have alleged it was murder or suicide.

Kit
Derby's kit was manufactured by English company Umbro and were sponsored by Auto Windscreens.

First-team squad

 * Squad at end of season

In

 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Marco Gabbiadini – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Crystal Palace, £1,000,000
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Paul Simpson – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Oxford United, £500,000, February
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Paul Kitson – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Leicester City, £1,300,000, March
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tommy Johnson – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Notts County, £1,300,000, March
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Bobby Davison – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Leeds United, loan

Out

 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Mark Wright – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool, £2,500,000, 15 July (national record for defender)
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Dean Saunders – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Liverpool, £2,900,000, 19 July (national record for any player)
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Phil Gee – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Leicester City, part-exchange for Kitson, March
 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Ian Ormondroyd – 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Leicester City, part-exchange for Kitson, March

FA Cup

 * 4–6 January: Burnley 2–2 Derby County (Chalk, Comyn)
 * 14–15 January: Derby County 2–0 Burnley (replay; abandoned 75' due to freezing fog) (Gee, Patterson)
 * 25 January: Derby County 2–0 Burnley (replay) (Williams, Ormondroyd)
 * 25–27 January: Derby County 3–4 Aston Villa (Gee 2, P. Williams)

Playoffs

 * Blackburn Rovers 4–2 Derby County
 * Derby County 2–1 Blackburn Rovers