Curtis Davies in 'emotional' Derby County admission as he prepares for Pride Park return

Former Derby County captain Curtis Davies.

Curtis Davies admits he may be overcome with emotion when he leaves Pride Park tomorrow afternoon – because it might be the final time he does it as a player.

The former Derby County captain is set to face the club where he is regarded as a legend when Cheltenham Town face Paul Warne’s side in the League One clash.

Davies was released by Derby at the end of last season which broiught an end to a stellar six-year service but the talismanic centre-back chose not to retire at 38 and sealed a move to the Robins where he is playing a key role in their fight against relegation. Davies admits tomorrow’s return to Pride Park for the first time since his exit will pull on his heartstrings.

“I’m hoping once I cross the line it’s just a game of football but, when the adrenaline drops, and I say goodbye and give everyone a clap, I might be emotional knowing I may never walk out of there as a player ever again,” he told the Independent.

Davies proved comforting for Derby during their hour of need as he tried to get answers for supporters after they were plunged into administration in September 2021.

They were eventually rescued by David Clowes in the summer of 2022, but fans will never forget Davies’ leadership during some dark times. And he said Derby will always be the club that he identifies most with.

“I had my longest time at any club there but my role transcended what happened on the pitch,” he says. “I had a bigger role in terms of the leadership around the whole place, when everything was going on with the administration and all these potential buy-outs.

“No one was really getting answers. People weren’t sure about their jobs so they didn’t know where they stood. It was the idea they weren’t sure when it was going to happen. People are panicking and thinking about whether they need another job. That was the worrying part for people at the training ground, people around us, they’re the people we were really worried for.

“I wasn’t trying to make myself important, it was just the fact I had done a lot of media and was asked questions. I will always give honest answers and the honest answers were we hadn’t been told anything. It’s one of the original Football League clubs so for it to potentially go bust – and we all just sit here and wait for it to happen – I wasn’t willing to accept that.”

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