Derby County will have been relieved to finally come out the other side of a blip in form last match, scraping past a dogged Cheltenham Town side 2-1 courtesy of a late James Collins goal.
This was a crucial victory for Paul Warne's men to get on the board in their continued aspirations to break into the automatic promotion spots come the end of the campaign, the ambitious Rams now just three points off Portsmouth at the top of League One.
Regardless of getting back on track in the league this weekend with a win, Derby will still want to bolster up top especially with a worrying injury development coming out of Pride Park weakening Warne's men going forward.
Derby going after former League One promotion winner
With young Arsenal recruit Tyreece John-Jules potentially needing surgery after picking up an untimely hamstring injury versus Lincoln City recently – Warne even commenting that the injury blow has 'destroyed' the up-and-coming striker – the Rams are now arguably light on numbers in the striker positions.
Showing flickers of his immense quality with two strikes registered in a Derby strip, which has seen the 22-year-old striker score goals for fun at U23 level back in north London, this is a disorientating blow at Pride Park that will hopefully be swiftly put to one side by the third tier outfit swooping back in for long-term target Michael Smith.
With the stumbling block between Sheffield Wednesday and Derby seemingly centring on the nature of the deal – the Rams only wanting Smith to come in and be a short-term hero on loan – this is a move that could well be finally completed on deadline day or agonisingly falls through at the death.
If the first option comes to fruition, the current Owls man could add another promotion to the Championship onto his resume at Derby with the 32-year-old attacker a lethal finisher at the level.
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ByCharlie Smith How Smith slots into the Derby team
Warne would have to slightly tweak with his formation if Smith was to finally arrive on the scene, with John-Jules operating more as a second striker compared to Smith's prowess as an out-and-out centre-forward.
Derby won't complain about having to make a slight change, however, with Smith and James Collins potentially forming a terrifying strike partnership to fire the Rams to promotion.
Scoring 75 times in League One across his esteemed career to date, Collins equally as potent with 69 strikes next to his name, the current Owls man could more than make up for the loss of the injury-stricken John-Jules by making goalscoring look effortless again on his return to the division.
Once described as a "game-changer" style figure by ex-Wednesday boss Darren Moore, a successful deal for Smith this window could really give the Rams an edge in the ongoing promotion fight at the top of League One.
A star previously in the third tier under current Derby manager Warne when the pair were both at Rotherham United, the 32-year-old bagging 33 goals along the way to two promotions with the Millers, this match made in heaven could prove to be fruitful again as Derby prepare to do everything in their power to try and break out of League One.
