was also sent out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday for a second time, this time for four months. A blow was dealt when Chris Porter was ruled out until Christmas after having surgery on his hip, though his strike partner Rob Hulse committed his future to the club in the face of speculation of an imminent £5m bid from Middlesbrough. Financially, the club announced that it had cut £400,000 off of the amount paid to player's agents for the first six months of 2009 in comparison to the same period at the end of 2008 and had reduced its debt to just the £15m mortgage on Pride Park Stadium, down from a £31m debt 18 months previously. September The summer Transfer deadline day on 1 September saw Derby make just one move in the market, as Jordan Stewart moved to Sheffield United in part exchange for Lee Hendrie. There was also interest in other Derby players, with Ipswich Town making a bid for Paul Connolly which was rejected and Rob Hulse the subject of a £4m+ bid from Middlesbrough. Hulse rejected the opportunity to move, citing his fondness for club as the reason. It was later revealed that, had the deal gone through, Derby had set up a loan move for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Sam Vokes as a replacement. An additional striker was eventually brought into the club with the loan signing of Everton youngster James Vaughan until January 2010 on 18 September. Derby increased their defensive options towards the end of the month with the addition of Swedish International right back Fredrik Stoor, who joined on an initial months loan from Premiership side Fulham and Clough revealed the club still has an active interest in young Blackburn goalkeeper Frank Fielding and would make a fresh approach in the January transfer window. Youngsters Greg Mills and Jermaine Johnson also moved out on loan to Solihull Moors and Stafford Rangers respectively. On the pitch, the club's poor run of results continued as four of the month's five fixtures ended in defeat, including a 6–1 mauling at Cardiff City. The only win came courtesy of an 85th-minute goal from Gary Teale, his third of the season, in a 1–0 home win over Bristol City, a match which saw Dean Moxey perform well enough to feature in the Championship Team of the week. The run coincided with a number of injuries to key