Carroll in a match against Aston Villa in September 2006. Loan to Derby County With his opportunities in the West Ham first-team limited, he was allowed to join Derby County on loan until the end of the 2006–07 season in January 2007. Derby manager, Billy Davies, who had managed Mears at his previous club Preston, said of him, ""He is a very attacking full-back with excellent pace who adds great competition. Ideally we would like to make this deal permanent in the summer." Mears made his debut as an 84th-minute substitute in a 1–0 win at Southampton on 3 February, and went on to make a total of 17 league and cup appearances, as Derby were promoted to the Premier League after beating West Bromwich Albion in the Championship play-off final in May. He went on to make seventeen appearances for the club in the 2006–07 season, during which Mears scored his first goal for Derby against Leeds United in a 2–0 win on the last day of the 2006–07 season. Mears then joined Derby permanently for £1 million on 4 July 2007, signing a three-year contract. Manager Billy Davies said, ""We're delighted with this deal. Tye is a very good young full back with excellent pace and potential. We need him for the challenge ahead and I know he is committed to working hard." Mears' first game after signing for the club on a permanent basis came on 11 August 2007, in a 2–2 draw against Portsmouth in the opening game of the season. However, a stress fracture sustained in January 2008 ruled him out for three months of the 2007–08 season. Mears made his return from injury against Fulham on 29 March 2008, coming on as a late substitute, in a 2–2 draw, a game that saw Derby County relegated to the Championship next season. Despite this, Mears scored his second goal for Derby on 19 April 2008 against his former club West Ham United, which saw them lose 2–1 and made 26 appearances (25 in the league and once in the FA Cup) in all competitions. Following the club's relegation to the Championship, Mears switched number shirt from 24 to 15 after Miles Addison took his shirt. At the start of the season, Mears competed with Paul Connolly over the right-back position and played first five matches to the start of the season in all competitions. Loan