Three weeks off. A win to build on. Now the road trip. Wrexham travel to Derby County at Pride Park after the international break. It is round nine of the Championship. The Rams last season finished 8th. The Red Dragons come in on the back of that late own goal against Southampton. Both sides know what a good October could mean.
Match at a Glance
| Fixture | Derby County vs Wrexham |
| Competition | Sky Bet Championship, Round 9 |
| Date | Saturday 10 October 2026 |
| Kick off | 3pm BST |
| Venue | Pride Park Stadium, Derby |
| Capacity | 33,597 |
| Home team boss | John Eustace |
| Away team boss | Phil Parkinson |
Wrexham Coming Into This
The break came at the right time. A late win over Southampton means the mood is good. Josh Windass is fit. Kieffer Moore is scoring. Callum O’Hare has settled in fast. Ben Sheaf played his first minutes for months. Ten points from eight games puts them 14th before the ninth round begins. That is not where the club wants to be. But form is a curve, not a straight line, and this looks like the upside of the swing.
Wrexham 2026/27 League Record So Far
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 3 | 10 | 14th |
Form Guide (Last Eight)
D
L
W
D
D
L
W
Home vs Away Splits
| Setting | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Away | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
A perfect split. Same win, draw and loss count. Same points tally. The road form is holding up, minus that West Ham day.
Derby County in Focus
The Rams are the older story in this fixture. Founded in 1884. Twice English champions. Twice European quarter finalists. That heritage carries into any modern match at Pride Park. Under John Eustace, they finished 8th last term, missing the play offs by four points. This season has started more quietly. A 0 to 3 loss at home to Swansea in late August has been logged as the biggest away win of the Championship season so far.
Derby County Snapshot
| Nickname | The Rams |
| Founded | 1884 |
| Head coach | John Eustace (since Feb 2025) |
| Owner and chairman | David Clowes |
| Ground | Pride Park Stadium (33,597) |
| 2025/26 finish | 8th, missed play offs by 4 points |
| 2025/26 top scorer | Carlton Morris (12 league goals) |
| 2025/26 average home crowd | 28,911 |
The Venues Compared
This one is a David and Goliath by capacity. Wrexham fans travelling east will find a proper old school English stadium with room for more than three of theirs inside it.
Stadium Capacity
Founding Year
Wrexham AFC is one of the oldest professional football clubs in world football.
Head to Head (Recent)
These two met twice last season. Wrexham took four points from six. That is the kind of record the Reds will want to remember.
| Date | Competition | Venue | Result | Wrexham Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Sept 2025 | Championship | Racecourse | Wrexham 1 Derby 1 | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Championship | Pride Park | Derby 1 Wrexham 2 | 3 |
Key Players to Watch
For Wrexham
| Player | Position | Why they matter |
|---|---|---|
| Kieffer Moore | ST | Scored the opener against Southampton. Aerial presence. |
| Jacques Ekomié | LWB | Created the winner with a low cross. Adds pace on the left. |
| Callum O’Hare | AM | The chief creator. Rated one of last week’s standout performers. |
| Ben Whiteman | CM | Delivers set pieces. Assisted the Moore header. |
| Callum Doyle | CB | Championship Team of the Season last term. Reads the game. |
For Derby County
| Player | Position | Why they matter |
|---|---|---|
| Carlton Morris | ST | 12 goals last season. Physical target man. |
| Sammie Szmodics | FW | Re joined Derby in August 2026. Prolific in this league before. |
| Ben Brereton | FW | Chile international. Direct and quick in transition. |
| Henrik Meister | FW | Signed August 2026 to add another option up top. |
| Eiran Cashin | CB | Returned to Pride Park in September 2026. Club product, back home. |
The Managers Compared
| Metric | Phil Parkinson | John Eustace |
|---|---|---|
| Current club since | July 2021 | February 2025 |
| Age | 58 | 46 |
| Promotions in career | Six, including three in a row with Wrexham | Championship stability roles |
| Previous clubs | Colchester, Hull, Charlton, Bradford, Bolton, Sunderland | Kidderminster, QPR (caretaker), Birmingham, Blackburn |
The October Gauntlet
Derby is match one of five in a heavy Championship month. WBA follow on Tuesday night. Preston at the weekend. Then two on the road at Blackburn and Sheffield United. Twenty days. Five games. This is where mid table becomes upper half or slides the other way.
Wrexham October Fixtures
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Kick off | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat 10 Oct | Derby County | Away | 3pm | ★★★★★ |
| Tue 13 Oct | West Brom | Home | 6.45pm | ★★★★★ |
| Sat 17 Oct | Preston North End | Home | 3pm | ★★★★★ |
| Sat 24 Oct | Blackburn Rovers | Away | 3pm | ★★★★★ |
| Fri 30 Oct | Sheffield United | Away | 8pm | ★★★★★ |
Difficulty is our own take, based on the last 12 months of form and squad quality. Two of five at home. Ten points from these five would be a strong month.
Days Between Games
Fitness will matter. So will rotation. Ben Sheaf being fit again is timely.
Predicted Lineups
Wrexham (3-4-2-1)
Patterson
Vyner, Hyam, Doyle
Kaboré, Whiteman, Sheaf, Ekomié
Windass, O’Hare
Moore
Derby County (4-2-3-1)
Widell
Nelson, Cashin, Forsyth, Elder
Ozoh, Hourihane
Szmodics, Brereton, Blackett-Taylor
Morris
Best guess XIs. Team news typically drops 60 minutes before kick off.
Match Day Details
- Kick off: 3pm BST, Saturday 10 October 2026
- Venue: Pride Park Stadium, Derby DE24 8XL
- UK broadcast: Check the EFL’s Sky Sports selection listings closer to the game
- US broadcast: Paramount Plus
- Rail travel: Derby station is a 15 minute walk from Pride Park
- Away tickets: Buy through the Wrexham AFC ticket office
The Takeaway
Wrexham go into this in good shape. Confidence high. Fitness restored. Belief in the crowd. Derby will fancy their own chances at home. The Rams have always had a big following and Pride Park lifts them. Moore will get chances. O’Hare will hunt for space. Whiteman’s set pieces are a weapon. If Wrexham take the points, they enter a very winnable Tuesday home game against WBA. That is how promotion chases start. One good result at a time.
Sources and Further Reading
- Wrexham AFC Fixtures
- Derby County 2026/27 Fixtures
- Derby County: John Eustace profile
- Wikipedia: 2026/27 EFL Championship
- Wikipedia: Derby County 2026/27 Season
- Wikipedia: Derby County 2025/26 Season
- Wikipedia: Derby County FC
- Wikipedia: Phil Parkinson
- Wikipedia: John Eustace
- AiScore: Derby County vs Wrexham H2H
- FIFA match centre: Derby 1 Wrexham 2 (March 2026)
- English Grounds: Pride Park Guide