| Club: | Derby County |
| Season: | 1996–97 |
| Manager: | Jim Smith |
| Chairman: | Lionel Pickering |
| Stadium: | Baseball Ground |
| League: | Premiership |
| League Result: | 12th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Quarter finals |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Dean Sturridge (11) |
| Season Topscorer: | Dean Sturridge (14) |
| Highest Attendance: | 18,287 vs. Arsenal (11 May 1997) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 17,022 vs. Wimbledon (28 September 1996) |
| Average Attendance: | 17,889 |
| Pattern La1: | _blackline_border |
| Pattern B1: | _shoulder_stripes_black_stripes_collar |
| Pattern Ra1: | _blackline_border |
| Pattern Sh1: | _black_thinstripe_color |
| Socks1: | 000000 |
| Prevseason: | 1995–96 |
| Nextseason: | 1997–98 |
The 1996–97 season was Derby County's first in the Premier League, following their promotion from the First Division the previous season.
Back in the top flight after a five-year exile, Jim Smith's Derby County side never looked in any real danger of an immediate return to Division One, and their 12th-place finish in the final table was their highest final position in eight years. Young striker Dean Sturridge received many plaudits for his goalscoring exploits, which sparked talk of a £7 million transfer to Arsenal, but the move never happened.
The highlight of the season was a 3–2 win against champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, with Paulo Wanchope scoring a "wonder goal" on his English league debut.[1] [2]
See main article: 1996–97 FA Premier League.
Derby County's score comes first[3]
| Win | Draw | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1996 | Leeds United | H | 3–3 | 17,925 | Sturridge (2), Paul Simpson | |
| 21 August 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 28,219 | Dailly | |
| 24 August 1996 | Aston Villa | A | 0–2 | 34,646 | ||
| 4 September 1996 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | 18,025 | Laursen | |
| 9 September 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–1 | 19,214 | Willems, Flynn | |
| 14 September 1996 | Sunderland | H | 1–0 | 17,692 | Asanović (pen) | |
| 21 September 1996 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 | 23,487 | ||
| 28 September 1996 | Wimbledon | H | 0–2 | 17,022 | ||
| 12 October 1996 | Newcastle United | H | 0–1 | 18,092 | ||
| 19 October 1996 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–1 | 27,771 | Dailly | |
| 27 October 1996 | Liverpool | A | 1–2 | 39,515 | Ward | |
| 2 November 1996 | Leicester City | H | 2–0 | 18,010 | Ward, Whitlow (own goal) | |
| 17 November 1996 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–1 | 17,350 | Asanović, Vickers (own goal) | |
| 23 November 1996 | West Ham United | A | 1–1 | 24,576 | Sturridge | |
| 30 November 1996 | Coventry City | H | 2–1 | 18,042 | Asanović (pen), Ward | |
| 7 December 1996 | Arsenal | A | 2–2 | 38,018 | Sturridge, Powell | |
| 16 December 1996 | Everton | H | 0–1 | 17,252 | ||
| 21 December 1996 | Southampton | A | 1–3 | 14,901 | Dailly | |
| 26 December 1996 | Sunderland | A | 0–2 | 22,512 | ||
| 28 December 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0–0 | 17,847 | ||
| 11 January 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 1–1 | 11,467 | Willems | |
| 18 January 1997 | Chelsea | A | 1–3 | 27,639 | Asanović | |
| 29 January 1997 | Leeds United | A | 0–0 | 27,523 | ||
| 1 February 1997 | Liverpool | H | 0–1 | 18,102 | ||
| 15 February 1997 | West Ham United | H | 1–0 | 18,057 | Asanović (pen) | |
| 19 February 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–2 | 18,060 | Sturridge, Štimac | |
| 22 February 1997 | Leicester City | A | 2–4 | 20,323 | Sturridge (2) | |
| 1 March 1997 | Chelsea | H | 3–2 | 18,039 | Minto (own goal), Asanović, Ward | |
| 5 March 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–6 | 29,739 | Simpson | |
| 15 March 1997 | Everton | A | 0–1 | 32,140 | ||
| 22 March 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 4–2 | 18,083 | van der Laan, Trollope, Sturridge, Ward | |
| 5 April 1997 | Manchester United | A | 3–2 | 55,243 | Ward, Wanchope, Sturridge | |
| 9 April 1997 | Southampton | H | 1–1 | 17,839 | Ward | |
| 12 April 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 2–1 | 18,071 | Rowett, van der Laan | |
| 19 April 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 1–3 | 36,550 | Sturridge | |
| 23 April 1997 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–0 | 18,087 | ||
| 3 May 1997 | Coventry City | A | 2–1 | 22,854 | Burrows (own goal), Sturridge | |
| 11 May 1997 | Arsenal | H | 1–3 | 18,287 | Ward |
See main article: 1996–97 FA Cup.
| R3 | 21 January 1997 | Gillingham | A | 2–0 | 9,508 | Willems, van der Laan | |
| R4 | 25 January 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 3–1 | 17,977 | van der Laan, Sturridge, Willems | |
| R5 | 26 February 1997 | Coventry City | H | 3–2 | 18,003 | Ward, van der Laan, Sturridge | |
| QF | 8 March 1997 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–2 | 17,567 |
See main article: 1996–97 Football League Cup.
| R2 1st Leg | 17 September 1996 | Luton Town | A | 0–1 | 4,459 | ||
| R2 2nd Leg | 25 September 1996 | Luton Town | H | 2–2 (lost 2–3 on agg) | 13,569 | Sturridge, Simpson |
Squad at end of season[4]
The following players did not appear for the first team this season.
Paul McGrath, 23