Derby County captain Lewis Travis has set his sights high, declaring that the Rams will be targeting automatic promotion next season. The declaration comes after a dramatic final day of the campaign saw Derby narrowly miss out on a play-off spot.

It was a rollercoaster Saturday for the Rams. At halftime, they sat comfortably in sixth place, dreaming of a postseason push. But Sheffield United staged a second-half comeback to snatch a 2-1 victory. Even if Derby had held on, Hull City's win over Norwich meant three points wouldn't have been enough to secure a play-off berth. The cruel twist of fate left the Pride Park faithful heartbroken—but not without reason to be optimistic.

Consider the bigger picture: Derby accumulated a staggering 19 more points than their 2024-25 campaign, when they narrowly avoided relegation by a single point. That's not just improvement; it's a transformation. "We are gutted obviously, but if you look at the football club as a whole, we are going in the right direction," Travis told BBC Radio Derby. "It's night and day from last year. Even if you look back at pre-season, we didn't have a pre-season to gel."

The captain's confidence is contagious. With a solid core of players already in place, Travis believes the foundation is laid for a top-two push. "We've got a solid group of players here. Hopefully we can keep all the loan players and add some good additions and go and chase that top two next season."

For Rams fans, the message is clear: the pain of missing out this year is fuel for an even stronger charge next season. Automatic promotion isn't just a hope—it's the new standard at Pride Park.