Nigel Clough struck gold with key transfer decision he made at Derby County | OneFootball

Jake Buxton spent seven years with the Rams, gaining cult hero status.

Nigel Clough's time at Derby County is one that has been remembered more fondly as time has progressed.

Brought in from Burton Albion in January 2009 to help steady the ship after a tumultuous two years following promotion to the Premier League and eventual relegation, the son of Rams legend, Brian Clough, had an incredibly difficult job on his hands.

Paul Jewell had struggled greatly at Pride Park, and left the club when they were 18th in the table. However, the then 42-year-old Clough, who was in his first managerial role in the EFL, worked wonders and made signings that shaped the team for the next decade.

One of those who had a huge impact followed his former manager from the Brewers in the summer of 2009, and despite being a fairly low-key signing, Jake Buxton made a name for himself in the black-and-white of Derby.

Buxton's influence took time to show through

Clough helped the Rams recover after a difficult first few weeks to keep them in the division, and he started the rebuild quickly in the summer.

Buxton was brought in as a starting centre-back, featuring alongside Miles Addison on his debut against Peterborough United as Derby ran out 2-1 winners, beginning the campaign in the best possible fashion.

Despite this bright start for the then 24-year-old, injuries took over during his first year at Pride Park, and he racked up just 19 league appearances.

Nevertheless, there were positive signs that Buxton had been able to make the step-up from the fifth tier to the second tier in the space of a few months. The first half of 2011/12 was all about recovery for the former Mansfield Town man after missing nearly the entirety of the year before, but he eventually returned to the fold in November, before coming back into the starting XI full-time in the final few months of the campaign.

He scored his second Rams goal in just his 11th appearance of the season in March 2012 against Nottingham Forest, heading in with the final touch of the match to secure all three points and the bragging rights in a 1-0 win.

It was a goal that wrote his name into the history books less than two years into his career in DE24, and is still spoken about today by supporters 12 years later.

Buxton became a key part of Derby's team over the next five years

Derby had started to improve year-on-year, and the solidity they had defensively was a key part in that. Buxton's fitness problems began to vanish as time went on, and he became a senior figure in the back four following an injury to Shaun Barker that all but ended his career.

The Rams' number 25 paired up with both Jason Shackell and Richard Keogh over the next couple of seasons, with the latter forming an excellent partnership with Buxton.

Despite Clough taking the club back to the top half of the Championship, it was clear that Derby were ready for a new era, and Steve McClaren was brought in to help the team make the push up towards the play-offs.

He kept the experienced Buxton and Keogh together, and they were excellent in the 2013/14 season as the East Midlands side finished 3rd in the table, before losing in the play-off final at Wembley to QPR in heart-breaking fashion.

It was perhaps the peak of the ex-Burton star's career, and his involvement in the 2014/15 campaign started to lessen. He made just 19 appearances as the Rams dropped out of the top six on the final day following a 3-0 loss to Reading at home, and the then 30-year-old started to become an after-thought.

Injuries plagued Buxton's final season at Pride Park, and he featured just three times in the league, with his final appearance coming against Ipswich Town on the final day of the campaign before he left on a free to Wigan Athletic.

While he was never the most fashionable of players, there was a ruthlessness and consistency to his play that saw the defender become a crucial player over the seven years he spent at Derby, becoming a cult hero during his time at the club.