The low down on Tuesday night's opponents from the East Midlands
Bolton Wanderers and Derby County meet for the 123rd time on on Tuesday evening, with the Rams currently holding the upper hand in terms of victories with 59 in all competitions as opposed to Wanderers’ 45.
The most notable meeting of the two sides however came 125 years ago this month as Bolton welcomed Derby to Pikes Lane for both clubs’ first ever game in the Football League.
Despite the visitors running out 6-3 winners that day, the Whites were the side who wrote their names into the history books as Bolton-born Kenny Davenport secured the accolade of the Football League’s inaugural goal with his second minute strike.
An honour which has been hotly disputed down the years and awarded to a number of players, a recent discovery revealed that Davenport and Wanderers did in fact make history back in 1888.
Back in the modern day and age, Nigel Clough’s side have enjoyed a relatively impressive start to their own campaign, with the team currently occupying seventh position in the Sky Bet Championship table.
Following on from an opening weekend draw at home to Blackburn Rovers, the Pride Park outfit have secured three wins and suffered two defeats with their latest result being a resounding 5-1 victory over Millwall on Saturday afternoon.
Having finished last season in a respectable tenth place and just seven points off the play-offs, the Rams faithful will be hoping that their team can build on a solid start to the campaign this term.
The club have certainly had a busy summer in the transfer market with no less than eleven players moving onto pastures new, but Clough has ensured that his side have experience in abundance with the arrival of goalkeeper Lee Grant from Burnley and striker Chris Martin from Premier League outfit Norwich City.
Wanderers will also have to be on their guard to keep Craig Bryson at bay following the 26-year-old’s hat trick at The Den at the weekend, with the Rams’ midfielder looking likely to keep his place in the starting line-up for the clash under the Reebok floodlights.