Derby County’s promotion from League One in 2023/24 was a season to remember, but an injury crisis not long after new year threatened to derail their momentum.

The Rams started the campaign with four senior strikers on their books; Conor Washington, James Collins, Martyn Waghorn and Tyreece John-Jules.

Young forward Dajaune Brown was also available to help out in the case of any injuries to his more experienced colleagues, and was called upon a couple of times before he was loaned out to Gateshead in January.

Nevertheless, after Washington was injured in November, Derby’s forward-line started to evaporate, with John-Jules and Waghorn both seeing themselves out of action soon after.

The final straw for Paul Warne came when Collins was ruled out for six weeks after he damaged ligaments in his knee in a 3-0 away win against Exeter City, forcing him to bring Dwight Gayle to the club on a free – a move that quickly paid off.

Dwight Gayle’s time at Derby County was short but sweet and effective

The 34-year-old joined the Rams on February 19, five days before a trip to Oakwell to face Barnsley in League One.

Gayle came off the bench with half-an-hour to play but could not have an impact on the game, as Derby lost 2-1 to a top six rival.

On the Tuesday following, Warne’s team were beaten once again, falling to a 2-1 defeat to a reinvigorated Charlton Athletic team under the guidance of Nathan Jones.

This was the last time that Derby lost at home in League One, with Gayle grabbing his first goal for the club in the very next match.

The Rams stopped their rut of losses by easing past Port Vale in a 3-0 win, a game that started off a goal-scoring run for their new signing.

The ex-Premier League striker found the back of the net in his next two appearances, against Bristol Rovers and Reading, as his side put together a string of wins.