tie against Chorley, it was reported Derby would not have to forfeit the tie in the case that they could not fulfil the fixture, with each case to be assessed by the FA on its individual circumstances, though as FA Cup rules stated that clubs are expected to fulfil their fixtures as long as they have 14 eligible players, including the under-23 and under-18 squads, they would be expected to play. As a result, manager Wayne Rooney and the entirety of the first team squad would not travel for the game, and the team would be managed by Senior Professional Development Phase Coach Pat Lyons and Professional Development Phase Coach Gary Bowyer. Testing of the available players the day before the game ruled out a further six players leaving Lyons to admit that Derby were now "underdogs." Derby, for whom fourteen players made their debuts, fielded a team with an average age of 19 and lost 2–0 to exit at the third round stage for only the third time in ten years; it was the first time a sixth tier side had beaten a second-tier team since 1991. In the days following the Chorley game the whole of the first team squad tested negative for COVID-19 and were able to return to training. On 15 January, Wayne Rooney was appointed manager on a permanent basis, signing a two-and-a-half year deal and officially announcing his retirement as a player. Liam Rosenior took up the role of assistant manager and Shay Given moved to first-team coach, with Jason Pearcey stepping up from Academy goalkeeping coach to replace Given as first-team goalkeeping coach. Steve McClaren also stayed on as technical director and advisor to the board of directors. Rooney's first game as permanent manager was a 1–0 home defeat to Rotherham United. The defeat, the first time Derby had failed to beat Rotherham in a home fixture since 1985 and Rotherham's first victory at Derby in 55 years, was described as "sloppy" by Rooney and continued an alarming record against the teams around Derby in the bottom eight positions of the table, with just one win in seven and six points from a possible 21. In contrast, a 1–0 home win over AFC Bournemouth in the next fixture continued their strong string of results against teams in the top six, with only one defeat in seven fixtures, and took Derby out of the