While Aston Villa celebrated at Wembley, having secured promotion via a Play-Off final victory over Derby County, the latter were left despairing.
Their latest attempt to secure a return to the Premier League had failed and another season in the Championship beckoned.
It is now 11 years since Derby were last in the top flight and those years have been cruel, with them failing to secure promotion via the play-offs on four separate occasions.
The latest man to try and change that is Phillip Cocu, who arrived at the club to replace Frank Lampard this summer.
The Dutchman overhauled the squad he inherited to try and achieve that, with Kristian Bielik the headline signing in a £7m deal.
The Polish international has featured in three of Derby’s league games so far and says he’s aiming to help the Rams secure promotion as soon as possible.
If not, he’s hoping a Premier League club will come calling for him anyway.
“I signed a long, five-year contract. My ambition is to be (in the Premier League) with the Derby County team,” he told Sport.PL.
“If we fail this season, we will try next year. And if it fails next year, it is not known what will happen, because I would like to play in the highest league.
“However, if it only happens in two or three years, it does not matter.
“I will fight to get there with my current team, and if it fails, maybe there will be a Premier League club that will want to loan me or buy me out. My representation can help me with this.”
