Derby maintained their top 2 position in September, with the main highlight being a 2–1 win at local rivals Nottingham Forest, despite the fact that goalkeeper Frank Fielding gave away a penalty and was sent off after 67 seconds, Jeff Hendrick's winner in the game was his first goal in senior football.

Derby finished the season 12th in the league, 11 points off the play-off players, with Nigel Clough being satisfied with the performances of the team, stating a lack of firepower as the reason why they fell short and a target to improve in 2012–13.

Derby's summer signings had mixed fortunes with Craig Bryson, Jason Shackell & Frank Fielding all being in contention for the Player of the Year award.

[1] Striker Theo Robinson was joint top scorer with Steve Davies on 12 goals and Jamie Ward's form impressed enough to earn him a new contract.

Nathan Tyson, signed from local rivals Forest however failed to score in 24 appearances, Chris Maguire struggled to break into the first team and was loaned out to Portsmouth for the final two months of the season.

Goalkeeping trio Saul Deeney, Ross Atkins and James Severn were all given new deals to their expiring contracts, whilst Callum Ball, Alex Witham, Aaron Cole and Chris Jones become first-year professionals after completing their scholarship programmes.

[38] The other signing came in the form of a six-month loan deal for Hull City defender Kevin Kilbane, who would challenge Gareth Roberts for the club's left-back position.

Pringle was told he was free to find another club, despite being handed a new 18-month contract just 3 months earlier,[49] and subsequently agreed personal terms with Rotherham United.

[60] The following match against Doncaster Rovers was the 300th league game at the Pride Park Stadium and saw Derby in with a chance of making their best start to a season in over 100 years if they could achieve a victory.

[63] The visit of Burnley was the final game before the international break and saw Derby crash to their first defeat of the season, as Theo Robinson's equaliser turned out to be a mere consolation in a 2–1 home loss.

However, the club's only movement saw academy graduate Ryan Connolly join Scottish First Division side Ayr United on loan until 31 December[65] and youth team winger Aaron Cole head out to Eastwood Town on a one-month deal.

the club's official website in which he said "We continue to make inquiries and calls in regards to strengthening the squad, but it may be that things happen when the loan window re-opens next week.

It is important not to abandon our philosophy of responsible governance of this Club; with the Financial Fair Play rules set to be introduced in the Football League in 2012, it makes it even more imperative.

The day before the Coventry defeat it was announced that Nigel Clough had been nominated for the Championship Manager of the Month award, but lost out to Brighton & Hove Albion's Gus Poyet.

[74] As if to prove that Derby's youth production was back on track, academy graduate Mark O'Brien, who had played in every game of the new season despite being just 18 years old, signed a new four-year contract, extending his stay at the club until the summer of 2015.

"[78] There was also a link with Mansfield Town's Tom Naylor, who played for the reserves in a bid to earn a contract offer from the club,[79] and Clough laughed off West Bromwich Albion's rumoured £3m interest in John Brayford, saying "Is that all, £3million?

[83] In the event of the match, Frank Fielding was sent off after just 66 seconds after bundling over Forest striker Ishmael Miller giving Adam Legzdins to make his first appearance for the club, with his first action being to pick Andy Reid's penalty out of the back of the net.

However, Jamie Ward's 29th-minute equaliser, a mazy run past three Forest defenders before he beat Lee Camp at his near post from the byline, saw the ten-man Derby side level at half-time.

The second half saw Nathan Tyson come on for his Derby debut, but it was 19-year-old academy graduate Jeff Hendrick, who like Mark O'Brien had broken into the first team after impressive performances and was named in the Championship Team of the Week on the back of his performance,[84] who grabbed the headlines when he scored midway into the second half with his first professional goal and claimed Derby's third win at the City Ground in five attempts.

The victory was followed with four points from the next two home games - a 3–0 thumping of Millwall which saw John Brayford, Ben Davies and Jeff Hendrick named in the Championship's 'Team of the Week'[85] and a 1–1 draw with Barnsley - to take them into the automatic promotion spots.

It was the club's biggest defeat for almost exactly two years (after a 1–6 mauling at Cardiff City on 29 September 2009) and left Clough asking supporters to not let the result "overshadow what has been a great start to the season for us.

"[88] The heavy nature of the defeat, which was partially attributed to player exhaustion due to the constraints of a regular Championship season being placed on Derby's small squad, led to questions about potential investment over the next two weeks, with CEO Tom Glick stating that "we have our eye firmly on what it will take to get through the first half of the season before January and if we feel we're light, we'll make a move" before reaffirming that he didn't foresee any new signings ahead of the next game, at home to Southampton.

[90] The international break allowed Derby the time to try to bring back some of the squads injured key players, with Chris Riggott, Shaun Barker, Paul Green and Nathan Tyson all showing signs of nearing return to the first team picture.

The Middlesbrough game was notable for featuring the debut of the highly touted Mason Bennett, who set a club record for youngest ever team player, making his first appearance at 15 years and 99 days old.

[104] The last match before the November international break saw Derby race into a 2–0 lead away to Peterborough United, courtesy of a Theo Robinson brace, before losing 3–2 thanks to a stoppage time winner and slipping to a season low of 8th in the table.

[108] The first game after the break, at home to Hull City, also saw the return to the squad of Shaun Barker, Paul Green and John Brayford.,[109] though it was not enough to prevent The Rams crash to their third straight defeat as the visitors ran out 2–0 winners.

Ahead of the final game of the year, a home fixture against second placed West Ham, and with the club's wage bill restricting Derby's potential in the transfer market Clough revealed his intention to move on no less than six players in the upcoming transfer window, with Stephen Pearson (Bristol City), Stephen Bywater (Sheffield Wednesday), Dean Leacock, David Martin, Lee Croft and Tomasz Cywka, all of whom were entering the final six months of their contracts, seemingly on their way out.

[119] The Rams rounded off 2012 with a 2–1 home victory over second placed West Ham United which saw Callum Ball and Paul Green, with his first goal in over a year, give Derby a 2–0 lead within 10 minutes.

[125][126] Tomasz Cywka saw a transfer back to Poland fall through (which later turned out to be Ekstraklasa leaders Śląsk Wrocław[127]), with Clough indicating that the player could leave as his contract was up in the summer and there was no intention of offering him a new deal.

[127] In addition, Lee Croft joined Scottish Premier League side St Johnstone until the end of the season[129] whilst Miles Addison and Aaron Cole extended their loans at Barnsley and Stockport County respectively by one month.