ALS: SAFC Fanzine
ONES TO WATCH: DERBY COUNTY
BEN HARDIE
We are set to play Derby County for the first time since we beat them 4-1 away from home back in 2018. Here are five of their players to watch for in tonight’s match.
JACOB WIDELL ZETTERSTRÖM (GK)
26-year-old Jacob Widell Zetterström was a new addition for Derby County this summer and has made a positive impact so far in his first few games for the club. He’s managed three clean sheets in six matches in all competitions. Before moving to England, the Sweden international (one cap) began his career with Swedish club Djurgårdens IF in their academy before moving to IFK Lidingö where he helped them rise from the sixth tier of Swedish football to fourth tier. He then moved back to his first club and became a regular in the top flight as well as in the Europa Conference League.
RYAN NYAMBE (RB)
Usually deployed as a right back, Namibia international (14 caps) Ryan Nyambe can also be deployed as a centre back. Born in the Southern Africa country, he moved to England, aged 13, to join the Blackburn Rovers academy. He broke into their first team setup in the 2016-17 campaign and then won automatic promotion to the Championship with the Lancastrians in 2018. Following several seasons of consistent game time in the second tier, he moved to another Championship team, Wigan, in 2022 spending one season there. Nyambe dropped down to the third tier with Derby in 2023 and helped them to win automatic promotion last term. Internationally, he has featured for his country at two Africa Cup of Nations, in 2019 and 2023.
KENZO GOUDMIJN (DM)
Goudmijn was also one of Derby’s new signings in the most recent transfer window and can play in many different roles on a football pitch, including on the left wing and as a striker. He’s from the Netherlands and came through the AZ Alkmaar youth setup, featuring mainly for Jong AZ in the second division during his 14 year stint with the club. During those 14 years he played for Sparta Rotterdam and Excelsior on loan where he found consistent game time in the Eredivisie. In his last year at AZ he featured in the Europa Conference League. So far at Derby, he’s scored twice in nine games against Bristol City and Cardiff City. The 22-year-old has been capped at a youth level for the Netherlands between the U16 and U19 categories, winning the U17 Euros in 2018.
KAYDEN JACKSON (RW)
Kayden Jackson is Derby’s top scorer in all competitions, having netted three times in his nine games so far, and is also capable of being deployed as a centre forward alongside his main role as a right sided winger. Jackson joined the Rams in the summer after being released by Ipswich Town. Aged 30, Jackson has turned out for a variety of clubs but made his breakthrough in non league football initially. Starting out at Swindon Town, he spent time out on loan at Swindon Supermarine and Oxford United (then of the Conference North) before transferring to Tanworth and then Wrexham. Barnsley signed him in 2016 but he spent his entire time there out on loan with League Two Grimsby Town. After this, Accrington Stanley signed him and he had his first real success as a footballer, scoring 16 goals as the ‘Owd Reds won the fourth tier title. He then joined Ipswich in 2018 and was relegated with them in his debut campaign, however redemption would be found through automatic promotion to the Championship in his penultimate season and the same but to the Premier League in his final season. Overall he played 199 games and scored 28 times for the Blues.
EBOU ADAMS (CM)
Another international for an African country within Derby’s ranks is Ebou Adams who signed for his current club on loan to start off with in January 2023 from Cardiff City before joining in a permanent fashion this July. Adams was born in London but qualifies for the Gambia’s national side through his parents and he so far has 18 caps and one goal, with him also representing them at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. Starting out in the non league game he joined Norwich City in 2016 and had loan spells at Braintree Town, Shrewsbury Town and Leyton Orient and then transferring to Ebbsfleet United in 2018. He would spend a season with the National League side before going to League Two Forest Green Rovers, where he won the League Two title in 2022 as well as being named in the PFA Team of the Year for League Two in the same season. Cardiff then signed him, then Derby and in his loan spell he won the automatic promotion to the Championship.