'I'M JUST RELIEVED WE HAVEN'T GOT PRESSURE OF PLAY-OFFS!'

PAUL Warne describes joining Derby in the autumn of 2022 as like jumping out of an aero plane at 3,000 feet.

- Chrls Dunlavy

“There’s an adrenaline rush,” laughs the 50-year-old. “But, quite honestly, you’re just terrified for your life.”

Nineteen months on, that terror has subsided, replaced by a combination of pride and relief after promotion to the Championship ended one of the darkest periods in the club’s 140-year history.

Last weekend’s 2-0 victory at home to Carlisle saw off the challenge of Bolton, sealed second place and vindicated the faith placed in Warne by Derby’s saviour David Clowes.

The Rams had just been relegated to League One and were a week away from going bust when local property tycoon Clowes paid £55m to haul the two-time champions of England out of administration in the summer of 2022.

Four months later, with Derby’s finances still in rehab, he persuaded Warne to end a 20year association with Rotherham to lead the Pride Park rebuild.

Clowes was ecstatic to land the man he publicly dubbed the ‘King of League One’ following three previous promotions with the Millers. On the terraces, however, the reception was less enthusiastic.

“I remember one of my first press conferences,” Warne recalls. “I like to think I’m quite honest and quite moral and I wanted to be completely straight.

“I said ‘Look, I’m a relationship manager. I’m a slow burn. I have to get the lads’ trust before they’ll do what I want and I’m not going to get that on day one. I’m not the guy who comes in with a stopwatch and a whistle and everything changes overnight’.

“People couldn’t have been more underwhelmed and I realised then that I was a long way out of my comfort zone.