Derby County & Middlesbrough both struck gold with Chelsea transfer – it ended in Wembley heartbreak though
Striker Patrick Bamford recently earned promotion to the Premier League for the second time in his career with Leeds United.
After experiencing mixed fortunes during both loan and permanent spells with a host of clubs across England, Bamford has really made a name for himself since joining Leeds from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018 for an initial fee of £7 million, rising to £10 million.
Bamford’s impressive exploits during the early stages of his time at Elland Road earned him a call-up to the England senior squad in 2021, and while the last few years have been a little less productive for the 31-year-old due to fitness issues and a loss of form, he was still part of the Leeds team that won the Championship title this season.
Promotion may have become a familiar feeling for Bamford with the Whites, but he experienced very different emotions during his loan stints at Derby County and Middlesbrough as he suffered Wembley heartbreak in back-to-back seasons.
Derby County failed to reach the promised land despite Patrick Bamford masterstroke
Bamford was regarded as one of the most exciting young prospects in the country after joining Chelsea for a fee in the region of £1.5 million in January 2012, and two prolific loan spells at MK Dons only further strengthened his growing reputation.
After scoring 17 goals in 30 goals in his second temporary stint at Stadium MK in the first half of the 2013-14 season, Bamford was handed an opportunity in the Championship when he made a loan move to Derby in the January transfer window.
Bamford had come through the academy of the Rams’ bitter rivals Nottingham Forest, so his arrival at Pride Park was not without controversy, but any reservations supporters may have had about the deal were quickly forgotten as he made a stunning start to life in the East Midlands.
Derby had surged up the Championship table after an outstanding run of form under new manager Steve McClaren, and Bamford helped to strengthen their place in the play-offs after scoring five goals in his first seven games for the club, including winners against Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield Wednesday and a late equaliser to salvage a point at Blackburn Rovers.
Despite Bamford’s form declining a little after that, it was still a surprise to see him left out of the starting line-up by McClaren for both legs of the Rams’ play-off semi-final against Brighton, but a thumping 6-2 aggregate victory vindicated the ex-England manager’s decision.
With that in mind, it is understandable that McClaren stuck with the players who had got his side to the final for the game against QPR at Wembley, but Bamford was forced to wait until second-half stoppage time to be introduced from the bench as Derby desperately chased a goal after Bobby Zamora had put the 10-man R’s ahead in the 90th minute.
Unfortunately for Bamford and his teammates, they were unable to find the equaliser they needed to send the game to extra time, but even though he was unable to achieve the ultimate prize of promotion, he certainly did himself no harm during his time at Pride Park.
