Derby County captain Lewis Travis says the side will be aiming for automatic promotion next season after missing out on a chance to enter this campaign's play-offs.
The Rams occupied the sixth place spot at half-time on Saturday before a second half comeback by Sheffield United pushed them to a 2-1 defeat, although Hull City’s victory against Norwich meant even all three points would not have been enough to earn Derby a play-off spot.
However, despite their disappointment on the final day of the season, the Rams still accumulated 19 points more than their 2024-25 campaign, when they avoided relegation by just one point.
"We are gutted obviously but I think ultimately, 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.
"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."
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