The 1996–97 season was Derby County's first in the Premier League, following their promotion from the First Division the previous season.

Season summary

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.

Final league table

Results

Derby County's score comes first

Legend

FA Premier League

FA Cup

League Cup

Players

First-team squad

Left club during season

Reserve squad

Statistics

Starting 11