Wayne Rooney wants to reward 4,000 Derby County fans with rare away win at Blackpool

The Rams are treating Saturday’s fixture - their final away game of the season - as a farewell party to the Championship having already been relegated.

While Rooney’s side have done well to battle on in the face of a -21 points deduction, they’ve only managed two wins on the road all season - with their last one coming at Stoke in December.

Given they’ll be backed by such a large following at Bloomfield Road, Rooney is desperate to send them back to East Midlands with three points.

“I fully expect us to go to Blackpool and put in a good performance to try and change our away form,” he said.

“We know there’s a lot of away fans going on Saturday and we want to try and bring those Derby fans back with three points.

“We know it will be a tough game, Blackpool are a tough team to play against. We know that.

“We will have to be ready to fight and battle, but also try and get the ball down and play the way we know we can and cause them problems.

“There will be two or three changes, but it will be a strong team and one that is more than capable of winning the game.

“The players know they’re not coming here to mess around and see the season out, they’re coming here to work.

“We’re representing a big club with a lot of fans who are paying good money to travel to home and away games. We have to respect that.

“It’s incredible really how many fans are travelling, it shows you what a big club this is. To get relegated and have 4,000 fans going to Blackpool for the last away game is incredible.

“I think it’s testament to the players as well, because I think the fans appreciate the work they’ve put in and it’s a chance for myself and the players to appreciate what the fans have done for us all season in terms of the support they’ve given us.

“It’s a special club with special fans and we can’t thank them enough for the support they’ve shown us.”