Former Sheffield Wednesday man's pride at hitting Derby County milestone

Joe Wildsmith's name has been on the lips of every Derby County fan since Saturday's huge 1-0 win over Bolton.

The 28 year-old shotstopper had one of his best games in a Derby shirt making three crucial saves which prevented certain goals from going against the Rams.

One save that denied Jon Dadi Bodvarsson a header to take the lead was the pick of the bunch, with Wildsmith getting virtually no time to react to the point blank attempt on goal. He showed incredible reflexes to deny the Bolton striker a crucial goal.

Wildsmith has been at Pride Park for almost two seasons and on Saturday he made his 90th appearance for the Rams.

He joined from his boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday where he came through the ranks, but was never able to consistently establish himself as the number one choice.

Hillsborough was Wildsmith's home for eight years, but in just two years at Derby, he has already surpassed his appearance record for the Owls.

Speaking to Derbyshire Live, he said: "It is the best thing that I had to do in my career. I came here and my ambition was to play as many games as possible.

"To have played more times for Derby than I did at Sheffield Wednesday in just under two full seasons is something I am proud of."

As Wildsmith was such a big part in Derby's win over Bolton on Saturday, it was an afternoon to remeber for the 28 year-old.

He added: "It feels very good to get maximum points against a side around us in the table and one that is directly behind us. I thought the lads were excellent and we showed that fight and determination to get the goal that we needed and then to see it out. I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon."

Saturday's game provided the biggest crowd at Pride Park since the 2016/17 season, something that for a League One game, Rams fans can be proud of. The 32,500 in attendance generated a lot of noise.

Wildsmith continued: "The stadium was totally full and the atmosphere during the game, and at full-time, was incredible.

"It was deafening when we scored. It was so loud and credit to the fans because they really drove us on at moments when we needed them. We were pleased to send them home smiling."