Gary Teale arrived at Pride Park during the January 2007 transfer window and signed a three-and-a-half-year deal after completing a £600,000 move from Premier League side Wigan Athletic.

He was an integral part of Wigan's rise up the divisions after joining them in December 2001 from Ayr United for £275,000.

Teale arrived at the JJB Stadium with the Latics in the equivalent of what is now League 1 and quickly made himself a fans' favourite with a number of outstanding performances.

He was instrumental as Wigan rose from the Second Division and then reached the Premier League for the first time in their history.

A tricky player with delightful crossing ability, Teale began his career Clydebank before making the switch to Ayr in 1998.

Teale's move to Pride Park happened on the same day as that of another Scottish international midfielder, Stephen Pearson, who signed from Celtic.

He scored his first goal in a Derby shirt in February 2007's 2-2 draw at home to Hull City.

Teale was in and out of the Rams' line-up after their return to the Premier League and spent the last three months of the season on loan at Championship side Plymouth Argyle, and then moved to Barnsley on loan at the start of 2008/09.

He played three games for the Tykes before returning to Derby in September and slowly but surely fought his way back into contention.

And he has been in fine form since the turn of the year after making the left-wing slot his own with a number of stylish displays, including a stunning 25-yard strike in the 3-0 win away to Plymouth Argyle.

His form was such that he earned a recall to the Scotland squad for their World Cup qualifiers at the end of March.

LAST UPDATED: May 5 2009.