by Peter Scherer

An Irish International striker, Jamie Ward played for a number of local teams.

Although he started as a trainee at Aston Villa, he captained their reserve side, and played in the 2004 Youth Cup Final, but never made a first team appearance.

His league debut came in a loan spell at Stockport County, where as well as making nine appearances he also scored his first goal.

At the end of the 2006/7 season Villa released him and he signed for Torquay United, but after 25 games and nine goals he returned to the midlands with Chesterfield.

Ex Rams star Roy McFarland was the Chesterfield manager and Ward was regular first choice during his two year stay, netting 29 goals in 67 appearances.

In January 2009 he went to Championship side Sheffield United, where he played in the 2009 play-offs. Injuries and suspensions intervened at times, but he played 63 times scoring nine goals before being loan to a struggling Derby County in 2010.

His loan at Derby became permanent and with four years in a Rams shirt, it was his longest stay at any club in his career. He was a regular goal scorer but injuries again played their part. So after 138 games and 34 goals, he made the surprise move to Nottingham Forest.

He was regular first choice in his first season, but the games became less and he had loan spells over the next couple of years at Burton, Cardiff and Charlton, before joining Scunthorpe United in League two last season.

After being capped by Northern Ireland at under 18 and under 21 levels, he has made 35 appearances for the senior side and scored four International goals.

by Peter Scherer

Jamaican International and rock solid central defender Darren Moore has tasted success with a number of clubs in his career.

He made his league debut for Torquay United in March 1992, before he had signed professional and was quickly established as a key player in the Devon team’s defence.

He had three seasons at Plainmoor, with 103 starts and eight goals, before moving on to Doncaster Rovers for £62,500 in July 1995, along with two other of his Torquay team mates.

Behind the scenes dramas and scandals at Doncaster made it a difficult two years for Moore, and after 76 appearances and seven goals, he headed to Bradford City in June 1997 for £310,000.

The highlight of his stay at Bradford was being part of the team that took them into the Premier league for the first time. But his stay from thereon was relatively short, moving to Portsmouth for £500,000 in November 1999.

After just under two years at Fratton Park came his most expensive move, as he moved back to his West Midlands home to join West Bromwich Albion for £750,000. 

During his 104 games at the Hawthorns he was promoted to the Premiership in 2001/2 relegated and promoted again the following year, before Phil Brown paid out an initial £300,000 to bring him to Derby County.

He was part of Derby’s promotion winning team in 2006/7, beating West Brom in the play-off final, but after 83 games and being relegated again, he moved on to Barnsley where he stayed for just under two years again.

After a couple of seasons at Burton Albion, where he became captain,  he retired from playing professionally and had a short spell with Wellington Amateurs, before returning to the Hawthorns as Youth Coach.

He became caretaker manager at West Brom too before it was made permanent, but despite being fourth in the championship he was sacked after just under a year and became Doncaster Rovers manager  a few weeks later, where he is still in charge.

He is a Jamaican international with three caps and is also on the PFA Management committee.

by Peter Scherer

71 consecutive games in a Derby County shirt were one of the highlights of Stephen Bywater’s career.

Having started off in the Rochdale youth scheme, he was quickly spotted by Harry Redknapp, who took the 16 year old goalkeeper to West Ham after only one senior appearance.

There was immediate success for him at Upton Park, winning the 1998 Youth Cup.

His continuing development didn’t however earn him a regular first team spot after debuting in 1999 when Shaka Hislop broke his leg.

Although he stayed for almost eight years, it was only in 2004/5 where he held his place with 39 starts.

He went out on loan to Wycombe Wanders, Wolves, Cardiff, Coventry and Derby, until the emergency loan at Derby became permanent in 2006 for a £225,000 fee, after 68 games for the Hammers.

At Derby he was part of the play-off team that beat West Bromwich Albion to regain Premiership status and was first choice for a number of seasons.

Only injury stopped his 71 game consecutive run, but he played over 150 games in a Rams shirt.

After falling out of favour he was loaned to Ipswich, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday, joined the latter on a permanent basis in 2012, after five years with the Rams.

He spent a season at Hillsborough, before stays at Millwall, Gillingham, Doncaster Rovers and Kerala Blasters in India finally brought him to Burton Albion in 2016, where he is still on the books.

He had played in three play-off finals, two for West Ham and one for Derby and was a League One runner up with Sheffield Wednesday, as well as playing for England at under 19 and 21 levels.

by Peter Scherer

Injuries plagued Shaun Barker’s career throughout his Derby County career, but for a while he was club captain.

Having come through the junior ranks at Rotherham United he made his debut for the South Yorkshire club in March 2003.

He had four seasons with the Millers and was junior player of the year in his first season.

Once established he was virtually ever-present in their starting line-up, but after a 133 games and seven goals, he declined a new contract and moved to Blackpool on a free transfer in August 2006.

Although arriving as a centre back he tended to be played more at right back, but again became a regular in his three seasons at Bloomfield Road.

He was a League One play off winner in 2006/7 and Blackpool’s player of the year in the year in the same season. Having moved back to his centre back position he had a spell as club captain, notching up 149 appearances with six goals before moving to Derby for the start of the 2009/10 season.

A slight injury delayed his Rams debut, but having then played on with a torn thigh muscle, he had a run of successive games and was named player of the year.

He was a first choice centre back the following year and had played every game in the struggling team but with a knee injury. Only after the team’s league safety was assured did he have the required surgery.

Having missed the start of 2011/12 he fought his way back into the team, but a collision during a Nottingham Forest match in Match 2012 virtually ended his career.

He was made club captain off field but despite hours of painful surgery he never played for the first team again and officially left the club in 2015.

After a trial with ex manager Nigel Clough at Sheffield United, he played a few games for Clough at Burton Albion, retired in April 2018 having played for Burton as they beat Derby 3-1.

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by Peter Scherer

Another former Derby County Youth graduate will be joining the Mickleover Sports NHS Charity Allstars match, but he made his name a bit further north.

Rob Kozluk made his first team debut for Derby away to Liverpool in in 1997. He made another 11 appearances that season at right back and began the 1998/9 season in the Premier League too with Derby.

But after only 22 games in total in a Rams shirt he was  part of Jim Smith’s deal to bring Greek defender Vassilios Borbokis to Derby, with both Kolzluk and Jonathan Hunt going to Sheffield United.

Borbokis never established himself, whereas Kozluk had eight successful years at Bramall Lane. He was part of the 2005/6 team that gained promotion to the Premiership, and played 213 games, as well as having loan spells at Huddersfield, Wigan Athletic and Preston North End too.

He finally left Sheffield to join Second Division Barnsley in 2007, where he spent another three seasons, making 75 appearances.

Having returned to Bramall Lane to see out the most of the 2010/11 season, with Sheffield United now back in the Championship, he failed to win a regular place and moved to Port Vale.

He only played for the League Two side seven times before leaving for Bradford City, where he saw out the season with another 17 appearances.

After two more seasons in the Northern Premier league with Ilkeston Town, he retired from the game in October 2013 and stayed on as a coach. 

During his time at Derby he was also capped by England at under 21 level two occasions.

by Peter Scherer

Although Jason Kavanagh came through his apprenticeship at Derby County, he began playing as a schoolboy with Birmingham City.

The pacey defender made his league debut in 1988 and was part of the Rams team that were relegated from Division One in 1991.

Injuries to regular first teamers began to give Kavanagh a regular place in the team and he played his part in the promotion season of 1995/6 back to the Premier League.

But he was unable to hold down a place in the starting line-up and went on loan to Wycombe Wanderers in 1996. But after 96 games and one goal in a Rams shirt, the stay became a permanent one for a £25,000 fee.

He had three seasons at Wycombe and helped them successfully fight off a threat of relegation, but after another 89 games and one goal, he moved onto Second Division Stoke City.

It was only a short stay in the Potteries as he then moved to Cambridge United after only eight games. He went through another relegation battle successfully, but only made 19 appearances, before his full time career ended and he moved again to Burton Albion, then in the Northern Premier League.

He was in the Brewers side that won the league title and had three seasons of action with them, scoring seven goals from his 89 games.

But at the end of 2003 season he ended his playing career. 

Jason also had representative honours for England at Youth level.

by Peter Scherer

Two promotions in his first two years and player of the year in his first, got Ross Maclaren’s career at Derby County off to a magnificent start.

After a junior spell with Glasgow Rangers, Ross came to England with Shrewsbury Town. He had four seasons at Gay Meadow and during this time he proved able to play in defence or midfield.

161 games and 18 goals later he came to the Baseball Ground and was part of Arthur Cox’s promotion winning team from Division Three to two and to Division One the following year.

He went two seasons without missing a game but in the First Division he was unable to retain a regular place, despite proving capable in a number of positions.

After 122 matches and four goals he left for Swindon Town for £165,000 and played under both Lou Macari and Ossie Ardiles for the Robins.

His dependency again made him a first choice, with the highlight being his appearance at Wembley, when Swindon beat Leicester City for a place in the Premiership.

Loyal service and dependency over five years earned him the captaincy, but having avoided injury for most of his career, he was out of action for a whole year.

He came back but it was a re-occurrence of the injury that ended his playing days in 1994.

Although not a manager in his own right, he has been in charge of Swindon Reserves, Southend United Youth and been assistant at both Derby and Notts County.