Wembley heartbreak for Reds youngster
There was disappointment for Liverpool loanee Andre Wisdom at Wembley this afternoon after Derby County narrowly missed out on promotion to the Barclays Premier League.
Wisdom played the full 90 minutes at right-back and for his part was unflappable and decisive - but he was unable to prevent Queens Park Rangers from winning 1-0 in the Championship play-off final.
Derby dominated the game against a QPR side that were reduced to 10 men with half an hour still to play; however, Bobby Zamora's instinctive, late winner settled the tie in dramatic fashion.
Wisdom joined Derby on loan in October last year after making three first-team appearances for Liverpool at the start of the 2013-14 campaign.
He established himself as a mainstay in Steve McClaren's side as they surged to a third-place finish in English football's second tier before beating Brighton & Hove Albion in the play-off semi-finals.
At Wembley on Saturday, QPR stopper Rob Green quickly emerged as County's nemesis, pulling off save after save to keep the opposition at bay as white shirts streamed forward time and again.
QPR's Gary O'Neil was shown a straight red card in the 58th minute for hacking down Johnny Russell just outside the area and Derby's search for a goal intensified further.
However, with moments left on the clock, Richard Keogh's attempted clearance fell to Zamora, who steered the ball home to send Harry Redknapp's charges back to the Premier League.