Next season will see Derby County play in the third tier of English football for the first time in more than three decades.
The Rams' defeat at Queens Park Rangers, combined with Reading's remarkable 4-4 draw against Swansea City, confirmed relegation to League One for Wayne Rooney's side. A mitigating factor in their demise was the 21-point handicap the club incurred after entering administration and breaching accounting policies.
Despite all their troubles, Derby put up a superb and gutsy fight with demotion only confirmed with three games of the season remaining. Paul Ince, interim boss at Reading, had plenty of warm words for County and their manager.
He has even gone as far as to suggest Rooney should be named Championship manager of the season, despite the campaign seeing his side suffer the ignominy of relegation.
“When awards come out at the end of the season, they’ll probably give it to Marco Silva because Fulham got promoted," Ince insisted.
“But it should go to Wayne Rooney, because the job he’s done with the budget and financial situation, to me it’s a no-brainer. That shows how well he’s done as a manager, with his style of football. He takes risks, he entertains, like what he was as he a player.
“When I was given this job at Reading, a lot of people raised a few eyebrows, because of the time I’ve been out. I think it’s the same situation with Wazza when he was introduced as manager at Derby. What he’s shown is that he’s more than capable of being a very good manager.
“To get to this point of the season with a 21-point deduction and just get relegated now shows how well he’s done.”
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Ince's words may be of small comfort to Rooney and his players, but they do reflect the high esteem in which the former England skipper is held. Reading, themselves docked six points earlier this season, staged a superb comeback from 4-1 down to seal the point that ends Derby's brave battle.
It was one that always looked a tough ask but was punctuated by some truly eye-raising results that, for a brief period, had many supporters believing a great escape might just happen. Rooney reflected, saying: "It's a sad day.
"I'm sad, disappointed, upset, frustrated, but proud. I think the effort the lads and the staff have put in to try and galvanise the squad and the club, it's been a lot of work put in. I've been in football a long time as a player and now in management and to see that reaction when a club's been relegated, I've never seen it.
"So the fans know what everyone's trying to do here and it's a weird feeling. I've never seen a team be relegated and get a reaction from fans like that. I thought it was incredible."
