Barclays Premier League
Gareth Davis reports from Pride Park Stadium

The 2007/08 season ended in surreal fashion as Derby slumped to a 4-0 defeat at home to Reading - but the visiting faithful were left heartbroken.

Reading travelled north knowing they realistically needed a victory to try and avoid relegation and they did their bit.

James Harper gave them the advantage in the first half and they seemed to be coasting to safety by the time Dave Kitson and Kevin Doyle made it three in the second half.

But it was then out of their hands and they were left relying on Fulham failing to win away at Portsmouth.

And with 14 minutes Danny Murphy headed home for the Cottagers at Fratton Park to complete their great escape, condemning the visitors to the drop despite Leroy Lita's fourth.

Lewin Nyatanga was back in a Derby County shirt for the first time since January following the expiry of his loan spell at Barnsley - but there was an even bigger surprise in the Rams' squad.

Academy striker Paris Simmons, scorer of 13 goals for the under-18 team this season, was called on to the bench to provide cover for Tito Villa and Kenny Miller.

The 18-year-old was handed squad number 41 for his first appearance in the Rams' senior setup, and he was joined on the bench by fellow Academy product Miles Addison.

There was an air of relief around the home faithful with the season almost at an end, particularly with a party atmosphere created by the first Rams Fan Day.

Indeed, it had been a memorable day for the fans who had also been awarded the Jack Stamps Trophy - paraded around the pitch by Roy McFarland and a host of Rams legends - for their support throughout the season.

But for Reading the game was hugely important with the Royals knowing that they needed a result on the last day in a bid to mount a dramatic escape from relegation.

Indeed, they broke forward on four minutes and might well have opened the scoring through Leroy Lita, who was denied just inside the box by Roy Carroll after being sent clear by Marek Matejovsky.

Lita then rose to meet a John Oster cross but he headed wide, and on seven Matejovsky steamed through but fired his effort across goal when in plenty of space.

It was all Reading and there was no real shock when they took the lead with a stunning finish on 14 minutes.

Dave Kitson laid the ball off to James Harper, who took a touch and came inside on his left foot before curling a delightful effort past Carroll from just inside the box but well to the right.

It sent the visiting faithful into raptures and gave them just the start they needed.

Derby were really struggling to find their feet with a number of passes going astray and there was a sense of nervousness spreading through their performance.

Reading, on the other hand, appeared far more at ease with the occasion and looked by far the more likely to net again - which they would surely have done had Lita been wearing his shooting boots.

Derby's first shot of any kind arrived six minutes before the interval as they finally sparked into some form of life.

David Jones drove his way forward after a quick Hossam Ghaly free-kick and fired in a powerful left-footer that was heading low into the corner until Marcus Hahnemann dived to save.

Jones had started the game wide on the left but was drifting inside to good effect and was again a threat in stoppage-time, though Hahnemann wasn't seriously troubled by his second effort.

Two changes followed at the interval as Marc Edworthy took over from Mile Sterjovski, a move which saw Tyrone Mears press up to the right of midfield, while Benny Feilhaber replaced Robbie Savage in the middle of midfield.

Darren Moore took over the captain's armband for the second period and was immediately in the thick of the action with three thumping headers clear.

Feilhaber lined up, rather surprisingly, wider on the left, though that allowed Jones to occupy the central position from which he had been becoming increasingly dangerous.

Though the American did drift in six minutes after the restart to meet a Mears cross which he looped just over with his head.

And as brightly as Derby had started, they found themselves two goals behind on the hour.

Nicky Shorey was given too much time to tee up a low 25-yarder that Carroll parried. Lita was first to the rebound and squared it across goal for Dave Kitson to tap in from close range.

With Fulham drawing at Portsmouth, though there were still 30 minutes on the clock, it would be enough to keep Reading in the Premier League.

And that was the cue for another Derby youngster to get his chance as Tito Villa trotted off to be replaced by Simmons, the surprising name on the team-sheet.

He had the ball in the back of the net within seconds of coming on but Moore had already been pulled back for a foul as he tried to reach Ghaly's free-kick.

Substitute Kevin Doyle made the game safe three minutes after replacing injured goalscorer Kitson.

The Irishman robbed Nyatanga and raced down the right where his low cross was blocked in front of goal, but it fell nicely for him to squeeze home from three yards while still sat on the floor.

Mears might have pulled one back quickly with a header from Miller's cross, but the home faithful were making their feelings known about the afternoon's work.

A fine Carroll save with his legs prevented Harper from making it five following a bustling run through the Derby defence on 76 minutes.

Then broke the news that Reading feared as, despite their dominance at Pride Park, they were only a goal on the south coast away from serious trouble again.

It arrived with a little over ten minutes to go as Danny Murphy headed in to put Fulham in front at Portsmouth - the visiting fans were stunned into silence as they contemplated relegation.

The final stages were played out in a rather low-key fashion with both sets of players and fans knowing that whatever happened at Pride Park, Reading's fate would be decided at Fratton Park.

Lita finally got his goal in stoppage-time, a close-range diving header to make it four but it was out of Reading's hands.

And when the final whistle blew at Fratton Park that was that - Fulham had survived against all the odds, leaving Reading and Birmingham City to join Derby in the Coca-Cola Championship next season.

DERBY: Carroll, Jones, Villa, Miller (Simmons 62), Lewis, Sterjovsky (Edworthy HT), Moore, Mears, Nyatanga, Ghaly, Savage (C) (Feilhaber HT).

SUBSTITUTES: Price (GK), Addison.

READING: Hahnemann, Murty (C), Shorey, Lita, Hunt, Oster, Kitson (Doyle 65), Harper (Bikey 85), Ingimarsson, Matejovsky (Cisse 82), Duberry.

SUBSTITUTES: Federici (GK), Kebe.

ATTENDANCE: 33,087 (3,074 visiting fans).

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