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19th April 2022
12:28pm BST
Wayne Rooney was applauded by supporters of Derby County on Monday evening after he and his players stopped to speak to them after the club’s relegation from the Championship was confirmed.
A 1-0 defeat for Derby away to QPR coupled with Reading coming back from 4-1 down to snatch a 4-4 draw against Swansea sealed the Rams’ fate - ending hopes of them pulling off a miraculous escape from the drop to League One.
The Midlands club were docked a total of 21 points by the EFL over the course of the season due to financial issues and entering administration.
Despite the uncertainty and only having a shallow squad of players to work with, Rooney has inspired his team to put up a valiant fight for survival. Without the points deduction, they would be sitting 17th in the Championship - 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
The Derby team were welcomed back to their training ground by supporters on Monday evening, with Rooney and his players showing their gratitude by making time to speak to them.
The former Manchester United and England captain acknowledged how difficult the season had been, but vowed to help put a plan together to get Derby back into the second tier.
“We’re grateful for the support you’ve shown us all season. It’s been f****** tough, been hard. Difficult moments for us, for you (fans) especially,” Rooney said.
“But we’ve tried our best, we’ve given everything we can. It’s unfortunate we’ve been relegated but now we’ll plan to make sure this club comes back.”
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