following Saturday when Chris Porter, who had only returned to the first team after 9 months out as a 71st-minute substitute for Paul Dickov at Preston, scored in the 77th minute in a 1–0 win away at Watford after again coming on as a substitute. Although the Rams remained 17th in the table after the result, it stretched the gap over the relegation places to 7 points and took them to within 7 points of the playoffs. The club's mini revival came to a halt with 0–2 home defeats to Doncaster Rovers and Blackpool over the festive period before a 0–0 draw away to league leaders Newcastle United saw the club end 2009 5 points clear of the drop zone. The club entered into numerous contract negotiations. Terminations were offered to Ruben Zadkovich and Giles Barnes, with Barnes accepting his on 11 December 2009. Stephen Pearson signed a new contract to take him through to the end of the 2011–12 season and Ben Pringle and Jake Buxton penned new 18-month deals. The club also confirmed it would enter into discussions with a number of other players nearing the end of their current deals, including Gary Teale and Jay McEveley. Loans also played a large part in the club's transfer dealings throughout the month. Frederik Stoor and Jake Livermore returned to their parent clubs, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur respectively, at the end of their loan deals whilst D. J. Campbell's loan spell from Leicester City to 31 January 2010. whilst reports suggested on-loan Goalkeeper Lewis Price's may return earlier than expected fur to being surplus to requirements at Brentford. Mark O'Brien and Jermaine Johnson extended their loan stays at Hinckley United and Stafford Rangers respectively for a further month Former Newcastle United midfielder Mark Doninger was also taken on trial, scoring for the reserves in a 2–1 win over West Bromwich Albion reserves. With January approaching, reports suggested Wolves had an eye on Kris Commons for a £1.5m fee and Luke Varney intimated his desire to return to Sheffield Wednesday, either temporarily or permanently, following the completion of his second loan spell with the club. Coming in, the club were linked with an £800k move for Bournemouth's Brett Pitman and moves for Swindon Town's Charlie Austin and Oldham Athletic's Chris O'Grady. There were also fresh links with £400k Crewe Alexandra defender John Brayford, and Everton's James Vaughan. January The FA Cup