It is snowing in parts of Derbyshire this morning with heavier downfalls forecast in the next few hours.

At 9pm snow had started to settle in Derby but predictions of a prolonged downfall changed last night. There is now no snow forecast for the city today.

There have been several includes of snow in Ashbourne and sleet is forecast for the rest of the morning.

Here Met Officepredicts what we can expect and when in the more northern parts of Derbyshire, including Buxton:

9am - heavy snow 

10am - heavy snow

11am – light snow

noon – light snow

1pm – light snow

2pm - light snow

In Derby today the forecast is for rain showers most of the day from around 10am and highs of 3 degrees.

Temperatures are predicted to drop down to 2C later this afternoon with a chance of light snow across the city at around 6pm. Wintry showers are predicted from 8pm. 

Here is the forecast, according to the Met Office, for Derby today:

10am - light rain

11am – light rain

Noon – light rain

1pm – light rain

2pm - light rain

3pm - light rain

4pm - light rain

5pm – light rain

6pm - light snow

7pm - overcast

8pm - sleet

9pm – light rain

10pm - sleet

11pm - overcast

HUNDREDS of mourners are expected to attend the funeral of Derby weightlifting legend Louis Martin, who passed away last week.

The funeral of the 78-year-old, who was awarded an MBE for services to the sport in 1965 - a year after winning silver at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, will take place at St Lawrence Parish Church, Church Street, Heanor at 1.45pm on Monday, February 2. 

Weightlifting greats including John Lear OBE, David Webster MBE, John McNiven and Derby's Commonwealth lifter Chris Freebury are expected to attend the funeral, along with his son's Richard and Louis junior.

DERBY'S Conservative group is calling for the city's boundaries to be extended to deal with housing developments on neighbouring council's land.

Thousands of homes are planned on land that falls under the planning authority of Amber Valley Borough Council and South Derbyshire District Council.

Sites such as Boulton Moor, Wragley Way and the development off Kedleston Road would all have serious implications for Derby City Council's infrastructure, according to Councillor Matthew Holmes.

To cope with these "bolt-on" applications, Mr Holmes will put forward a motion to the full council meeting of Derby City Council to expand the area over which Derby would have control.

He said: "Housing developments being proposed and imposed on the city outskirts continue to be a huge issue. It also has a huge impact on many other wards due to the knock-on impact of available school places and pressures on infrastructure.

"This is not an acceptance that the Conservative group now accepts 'bolt-on' developments. We continue to lead the fight against them to support our local communities but it's clear we must also accept the reality of the situation."

The boundary change would also have a serious knock-on effect of increasing the council tax yield for the city by possibly "millions of pounds" according to Mr Holmes

He said: "It would allow more money to be spent on frontline services and facilities for residents."

But he is prepared for neighbouring authorities not supporting the plan. He said: "As Derby councillors, our priority is to both support our local constituents and do what is best for the city. In our view, the supporting arguments for boundary change are valid based on the latest guidance and are confident a submission could be made for a review in a modest time frame."

Councillor Martin Rawson, cabinet member for planning, environment and regeneration, said: "Boundary extension is a potentially long protracted process.

"At the request of the Department for Communities and Local Government or of a local authority, or at the Local Government Boundary Commission for England's instigation, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England can undertake administrative boundary reviews, which review the external boundaries of a local authority."

Councillor Lucy Care, speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "The idea is something that we looked at when we were in power and other councils were not in favour. With the various other conversations that are still ongoing at this moment in time, such as the countywide partnership, I think more thought needs to be put into this plan."

The leader of Amber Valley Borough Council, Councillor Paul Jones, said: "We have no intention of requesting, or being involved in, a boundary review at this time."

South Derbyshire District Council was unable to comment.

CUTS being imposed on Derbyshire County Council are unfair in comparison to other counties, senior councillors insist.

The Labour leader of the authority, Anne Western, says the cuts, which this year total £45m, are "ideological" and are punishing Labour-controlled administrations and protecting Conservative-led authorities.

But Conservative group leaderBarry Lewis said the party was making a political point ahead of May's local and general elections, and Local Government Minister Kris Hopkins has argued that spending in the county has increased in cash terms.

Mrs Western said that every household in Derbyshire will lose £97 of government funding this year, while only £43 would be lost in the Conservative-controlled council in Hampshire.

The authority must save £157m by 2018. It gets nearly three-quarters of its funding from central government, but that has been slashed in recent years.

Mrs Western said: "The latest Government figures are completely clear. People who live in Derbyshire are taking a bigger hit than any similar county anywhere in England – is that fair?

"This year every Derbyshire household will lose £97 in Government funding for local services but if you lived in Buckinghamshire you would only lose £52 and in Hampshire the cut is even less at £43 per household.

"George Osborne and David Cameron have said that even when the national budget is back in surplus they will still be cutting services.

"That to me is wrong and presents the British public with a very stark choice in May.

"The Labour Party is committed to bringing the budget into line but I know they are also committed, in the first 12 months, to doing a geographical redistribution of funding to take account of the inequality there is currently with this government's cuts."

Mrs Western's accusations came as she outlined how the council will make its latest round of cuts, £45m in the 12 months from April.

Between 2013 and 2018 the authority must save £157m from its £500m yearly budget.

Tory leader Mr Lewis insisted cuts were being felt across the country.

He said: "Leicestershire County Council is Conservative-controlled and they recently had to increase council tax and Conservative councils in the south have also complained of cuts they are facing.

"We get this from Conservative councils down south about funding so that is a non-argument."

He said that although the main grant from Government was being cut by 24%, money coming in from other sources, such as business rates and public health money, meant the overall reduction in income was less than 14%.

"When you take all that into consideration, the cuts are not looking anywhere near as bad as Labour would make out in this election year."

Mrs Western said: "Nearly three-quarters of the money we spend on local services comes from the Government and only a quarter from council tax so it's inevitable that cuts of this size will have a huge impact on local services.

"Derbyshire residents pay income tax exactly the same as people in every other part of the country and they deserve to be treated fairly.

"We're doing everything we can to protect local people from the cuts – we're looking at every penny we spend, cutting management costs, selling land and buildings, raising income and using money set aside for emergencies.

"But unless the Government reconsiders its cuts for Derbyshire many services will no longer exist and others will shrink."

In response to Mrs Western's comments, Local Government Minister Kris Hopkins said: "The majority of local authorities have continued to balance their budgets whilst reducing council tax in real-terms and increased or maintained public satisfaction with services. In fact, so far over this Parliament, Derbyshire County Council's spending, excluding education, has actually increased in cash terms.

"Every bit of the public sector needs to do their bit to pay off deficit left by the last administration, including local government which accounts for a quarter of all public spending. Every council should be able to deliver sensible savings while protecting frontline services and keeping council tax down. This could include doing more joint working, getting more for less through smart procurement, tackling local fraud and council tax arrears, or utilising their reserves and surplus property." 

A PERIOD country home featuring a luxurious swimming pool is up for grabs in Derbyshire for £1.59m.

The seven-bedroomed detached property, in Church Lane, Weston-on-Trent, dates back to 1865.

It is of traditional construction, built of brick beneath a roof of Staffordshire Blue tiles and looks out over magnificent views of Derbyshire countryside including the Trent and Mersey Canal and the River Trent.

The property has extensive gardens and grounds covering 4.37 acres.

The home, which is elegantly decorated throughout, includes a large indoor swimming pool and hot tub complex, large gym with his and hers changing facilities, games room and a sauna.

The property is being marketed by Scargill Mann & Co.

On its website, the firm says: "An internal inspection will reveal elegant, spacious, versatile accommodation laid out over three floors and has, over recent years, been re-equipped and re-appointed to an exceptionally high standard."

A CONTROVERSIAL Derby primary school has been told it no longer needs special measures – 14 months after Government ministers stepped in because it was failing.

Al-Madinah School, which was Derby's first faith free school, opened in 2012 but, following complaints about management of the school, inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education visited in October 2013.

After the visit, which resulted in the school being labelled "dysfunctional", the Government acted to bring in the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust chief executive Sir Barry Day to chair a new trust board, following the resignation of the founding trustees.

The school's secondary department was closed, leaving the primary section to begin the process of trying to turn itself around.

Successive monitoring visits last year showed steady progress and a visit by the Derby Telegraph in September revealed a much-improved school from 2013.

Last December's monitoring visit found the school had made "significant improvements" and no longer needed special measures.

It still "requires improvement" but is no longer "inadequate".

The inspectors' report found that the "behaviour and conduct of pupils is good" and made positive reference to the school's code of conduct which has been developed by the pupils themselves.

They also noted that pupils "are keen to learn and proud of the work they produce" and they believe that the improved attendance shows how much pupils enjoy coming to school.

Head teacher Suzanne Sutherland was praised for her "strong leadership" and "clear vision", saying that she "played a critical role in driving improvements".

The inspectors also praised the school's governing body, whose members they said were skilled, knowledgeable and have "high ambitions".

The report acknowledges the fact that while previous poor teaching did cause damage which has not been fully erased, the school now has strong systems for tracking pupils' progress and is showing improvement in all subjects.

Mrs Sutherland said: " I am delighted the progress we have made has been recognised by Ofsted and that the school is now out of special measures. I am confident that we have the drive and capacity to continue to move forward and make further progress.

"I want to thank the families who have supported us over the last year. I was delighted to read that parents are positive about the education provided for their child when they completed a parental survey."

According to the inspectors, in order to improve further, the school needs to boost the quality of teaching, strengthen leadership and management and improve the quality of teaching in the nursery section.

The school has 169 pupils and is based in Nelson Street, Derby.

THE TIMELINE

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013: Derby Telegraph publishes story revealing female staff are forced to wear Muslim head coverings, or hijabs.

OCTOBER 1–7: Ofsted inspectors visit school, which closes suddenly at the end of the first day of inspection, for three days, after safeguarding issues are revealed, then reopens.

OCTOBER 8: Schools Minister Lord Nash sends ultimatum letter to trustees outlining time scale for deadlines and action plan.

OCTOBER 17: Ofsted report published, calling the school "dysfunctional" and "inadequate".

NOVEMBER 8: Government announces that Barry Day and the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust have been asked to step in.

JANUARY 31: Founding trustees leave the school and a new trust board under Barry Day is established.

FEBRUARY 7: Government says secondary section of Al-Madinah School to be axed from end of summer term.

APRIL 28 and JULY 25, 2014: Reports of second and third monitoring visit undertaken a month earlier, which revealed the school is now making "reasonable progress".

SEPTEMBER 16: Reopening event to mark the start of the school's first full year under its new trust board and to show parents around the refurbished building.

DECEMBER 4: School told it no longer needs special measures.

A CHARITY has already raised £5,000 to send the ashes of a tragic schoolgirl back to her home country after her death at the age of 12.

Littleover Community School pupil Franchesca Pawson died unexpectedly last Monday.

Tests have suggested that she died from a rare infection.

Derby City Mission, of which Franchesca's family are members, has raised the money to send her ashes back to Ecuador, which she left to move to Derby in the summer of 2013.

Alasdair Kay, chief executive of the charity, said the funds had come in the form of donations.

He said: "We really appreciate the generosity people have shown us after coming forward wanting to help raise the money.

"The kindness humans have shown us is brilliant, and something we really value.

"As a city mission, we help a lot of people and work with people in the community, so when something like this happens it makes me feel very special that people want to help us," he said.

"It shows amazing kindness at what has been a very difficult time for her family.

"They need to return to Ecuador to be able to grieve with family and friends there."

Mr Kay added: "As a mission, we are deeply mindful of this important step to comfort them in their tragic loss.

"We can never replace Franchesca but we can show our love to them as a couple in this tangible way."

Franchesca had only been at the school since March.

Since then, the school said, she had made a great impression and mixed well with both staff and students.

She made a good impression on her peers and, after her death, the school lit a candle for her and left a picture so that students could spend some quiet time paying their respects to her.

The provisional cause of death was septic shock due to consolidation of the right lung.

The condition was common 100 years ago but it is now almost unheard of in the modern age of antibiotics.

A coroner's spokeswoman said further tests would need to be undertaken to determine the cause of death.

Her death is part of a double tragedy for the school after 17-year-old former pupil George Watson died on Tuesday.

A minute's silence was going to have been held at Derby football matches on Sunday for the pair but these were called off due to poor weather.

Littleover Dazzlers, for whom George used to play, was among those taking part.

The minute's silence will now be held this Sunday.

George, of Whitaker Road, Littleover, started with the club at under-11 level and played for three seasons.

THE number of people in Derby looking for work has fallen to its lowest level since records began.

According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics this morning, Derby's dole queue shrunk last month from 3,339 to 3,065 – a drop of 274 or 8.2%.

This is the lowest level since the ONS started collating claimant count statistics in 1983.

The number claiming job-seekers' allowance in the rest of the county is also at its lowest level since records began.

In December, this number fell once again, dropping from 7,136 to 6,919 – a fall of 217 or 3%.

Combined together, it means that the number of claimants in Derby and Derbyshire has fallen by 5,517 over the past 12 months.

School closures in Derbyshire on Wednesday, January 21, due to snow overnight. Some schools below are opening later than usual.

*Ashgate Croft Special School - open for pupils from 10.30am.

*Alfreton Park Community Special School is closed today. Re-opening tomorrow.

*Anthony Bek Community Primary School -  closed today due to heating problems and further expected adverse conditions. We hope to re-open as normal tomorrow. Please see the school website for regular updates. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.

*Bakewell Methodist Junior School is closed today as heavy snow means teachers cannot get to the school. *Barlow Church of England Primary School - closed today due to weather conditions.*Biggin C. E. Primary School will be closed today due to heavy snow and the forecast for more during the morning.

*Brassington Primary School - closed due to conditions and more snow falling.

*Brookfield Community School -Unfortunately, despite everyone's best efforts we have been unable to make the school site safe. Therefore school will remain closed today.

*Croft Infant School, Alfreton, will open at 10am today due to adverse weather conditions. 

*Cutthorpe Primary School - closed due to snow.

*FitzHerbert CofE (VA) Primary School in Fenny Bentley is completely closed today due to the snow. 

*Flagg Nursery School is closed today due to heavy snow.

*Highfields School, Matlock, is closed today.

*Lady Manners School is closed today, Wednesday, due to the weather.*Marsh Lane Primary School is closed today due to the snow. *Monyash Primary School - school is closed today. *New Whittington Primary School -school will open at 10am today for all children.

*Newbold Community School - Outwood Academy Newbold is open but due to the snow, school will start for students at Period 2.

*Old Hall Junior School will be open for pupils at 9.30 am on Wednesday 21st January 2015.

*Parwich Primary School closed due to bad weather.

*Peak Forest Primary - closed due to bad weather

*Pilsley Primary School, Chesterfield will be open today for pupils from 10am. 

*QEGS in Ashbourne: Due to current snow conditions, the morning forecast and current transport issues, QEGS will not open today (Wednesday). School work for students available on website.

*St Giles CE VA Primary Killamarsh - opening delayed until 10am.

 *Stanton-in-Peak C of E Primary School will be closed today due to snow.

*William Rhodes Primary and Nursery School

*Youlgrave All Saints C of E Primary School is closed today due to heavy snow and more snow being forecast.

Check back here for updates throughout the morning.

If you are aware of any closures please email julie.bayley@localworld.co.uk stating the full name and location of the school plus which school years are affected. Thanks.

You can also be first with the news on our social media sites:

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A RECENT forensic graduate from the University of Derby has landed a job on a top criminal investigation.

Mandy Stephens is working at the Independent Police Complaints Commission as an investigation researcher for the current Hillsborough disaster inquest.

The ongoing inquiry, following the death of 96 Liverpool supporters in 1989 at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest, is one of the country's ever biggest criminal investigations into alleged police misconduct.

Last week, Mandy graduated from the university with a first class BSc (Hons) degree in forensic science and criminology.

During her three years of study, Mandy was awarded the biological and forensic sciences semester award for academic achievement.

She was then accepted as the university's student representative with the British Association of Human Identification and the British Association of Forensic Anthropology.

And at the end of her degree, Mandy was awarded the annual Pearson Publishing Prize for best forensic independent study, which she calls her "greatest achievement".

For that, she secured the opportunity to reconsider the biological evidence of a current cold criminal case and explored methods of preserving biological evidence for human identification purposes.

Mandy has also helped to catalogue and supervise the forensic examination of the Anglo Saxon skeletal collection held by the university on behalf of Derby Museum.

Talking about her graduation at Derby Arena, Mandy said: "It was all really exciting. I enjoyed and embraced my studies and I'm thrilled that all my hard work was recognised by my first class degree."

Forensic science lecturer Adam Long said: "Mandy is very deserving of her first-class honours degree and I'm proud that her efforts have been recognised by this excellent achievement. This will serve her extremely well in her future career ambitions."

Last week, the university opened a new forensic training facility.

The £410,000 resource, which looks like a typical four-bedroom house, has seven replica crime scenes hidden behind its wall, along with a blood pattern analysis room – believed to be the only one in a UK university.

The house is fitted with state of the art CCTV, audio-visual equipment and other technology allowing tutors to monitor students from a distance, so they can work crime scenes independently in a real-life setting.

A BURGLARY victim woke to find a masked man on the landing of his Derby home who then threatened him.

Police say the victim, who is in his 50s, woke at 10pm last night after hearing a noise.

He got out of bed and went on to the landing where he saw the man and confronted him.

Then, a second man appeared and the pair threatened the householder before fleeing the scene.

The pair got away with a large collection of Royal Crown Derby, including pieces personally signed by the artists in gold pen, as well as cash.

The burglary took place in Briarwood Way, Littleover, and the victim was not reported as injured in the incident.

A police spokesman said: "The men threatened to set a dog on the victim and although there is no evidence that a dog was in the house the threat was enough to scare him.

"He said the man he confronted had a scarf covering his face and was wearing dark clothing.

"He said the man was white, stocky, in his 30s and around 5ft 8ins tall.

"He was not able to give an accurate description of the second man.

"The offenders escaped with a large collection of Royal Crown Derby pieces including some that were personally signed in gold open by the artists so we hope that if anyone if offered these items for sale they will recognise that they could have been taken from this burglary."

The Royal Crown Derby pieces that were stolen include a peacock, a Siberian tiger, an elephant paperweight, a Wyvern paperweight, a unicorn, a lion cub, a leopard cub and dolphins.

Anyone who is offered the pieces or had information about the break-in is asked to call 101 quoting crime reference number 2795/14.

JOINT top scorer Kieran O'Connell is set to return for Gresley's game at Brigg Town tomorrow.

O'Connell has missed the last four games through suspension but is expected to go straight back into the squad, who are looking to build on last week's 4-0 win over Loughborough Dynamo,

Manager Wayne Thornhill could also give new signing Isaac Minott, who has joined from Holbrook Sports, his debut.

Thornhill said: "We've really missed Kieran against the top teams in particular.

"He enjoys playing, he's missed it and he's definitely ready to go again.

"He'll be with us tomorrow and we'll have a chat and see how we can pick a team to go and get a good result up there.

"Brigg is a difficult place to go; It's a long journey and a nice pitch. Hopefully we can put on a good performance which deserves a positive result, which we need.

"We're aiming to put some positive results together after disappointing results against two top-three teams."

"But we are where we are.

"We're sitting eighth, won a game on Saturday, and we're just going to take each game as it comes and see where it takes us."

Gresley have been drawn at home to Ilkeston in the semi-final of the Derbyshire Senior Cup.

The tie will be played at the Moat Ground on Tuesday, February 10 (7.45pm kick off).

Ilkeston, managed by former Derby County striker Kevin Wilson, are currently second in the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division.

GARRY Mollison, 25, of California Gardens, Derby, was jailed for two weeks and ordered to pay an £80 surcharge for handling stolen goods on November 15.

JULIE Hoddinot, 31, of High Street, Belper, was jailed for four weeks for stealing 45p of sweets from the Co-op in Belper on December 17 and for stealing vodka and cheese from Iceland in Belper on December 12.

NICHOLAS Millward, 31, of Brindley Court, Allenton, was jailed for 26 weeks and told to pay an £80 surcharge for stealing a laptop and two phone chargers on December 18.

ANDREW Morton, 40, of Main Street, Long Eaton, was jailed for six weeks, suspended for a year, and told to pay £145 compensation and £85 costs for stealing meat from the Co-op in Long Eaton on October 23 and November 2.

CRAIG Goodwin, 36, of Haddon Close, Alfreton, was jailed for two months and told to pay an £80 surcharge for stealing a wallet in Derby on October 15.

MICKLEOVER Sports managers Glenn Kirkwood and Craig Hopkins have criticised their side after a lacklustre display against Coalville Town – and want a much better performance at Stocksbridge Park Steels tomorrow.

Sports lost their second consecutive game, going down 1-0 to their Leicestershire rivals.

But it wasn't so much the result as the performance that the pair were disappointed with.

"We can accept losing," said Kirkwood, "but it was the manner in which we lost that upset us. We're still seething now.

"Take nothing away from Coalville, they were a good side. But I can't accept the way that we played. It was just unacceptable."

Changes are expected for tomorrow's game with new signings Curtis Burrows and Martin Foster set to feature.

Foster left Matlock Town last week after a short spell in charge of the Gladiators alongside Dave Rushbury.

He is still recovering after breaking his leg but had made a couple of substitute appearances for Matlock prior to leaving.

Burrows, meanwhile, is on loan from Ilkeston and will add a bit of competition in Sports' midfield.

The pair could also be joined by two more new faces as Kirkwood and Hopkins continue to build their squad.

"We are trying to add to the squad," said Kirkwood, "but, even though we're at the top end of the table, it's still difficult to get the right people in.

"Players may look at where we are and think that they may not get a game if they come to us because we have an established side.

"But we want to add more competition for places to keep people on their toes."

NEW manager Mark Hume has wasted no time in making changes at Matlock Town.

Within 24 hours, Hume, who replaced Martin Foster and Dave Rushbury last Friday, had brought four new faces to the Autoworld Arena and gave them their debuts against Ashton United last Saturday.

Hume, the former Alfreton Town defender, has also registered to play for the Gladiators but didn't feature in the 1-0 defeat against Ashton.

New assistant manager Scott Maxfield and coach Grant Black did, though, with two Sheffield United youngsters – defender Julian Banton and midfielder Otis Khan – also in the starting 11.

Then, just a couple of days later, three players – Joe Leesley, James Ashmore and Lawrence Gorman – left the club.

Hume, whose side are at home to Witton Albion tomorrow, says that the trio leave with his best wishes.

"James Ashmore took the decision like a man; we explained that we're overloaded in midfield and he accepted that we're crying out for a striker," said Hume.

"He could see our reasoning in that it would release some budget for a striker.

"Joe was one of the contract players who was asked by the previous manager to look for a new club and so naturally he put the feelers out.

"He was hesitant about leaving but had already agreed to join another club. I told him to do what was right for him.

"He leaves with mine and the club's best wishes and who knows, he and Ash might be back at a later date.

"We also have a lot of defenders, hence Lawrence leaving. It's a matter of making tough decisions in the best interests of the club."

Matlock may well have even more new faces in the side ahead of tomorrow's game after a disappointing result against Ashton.

"We lack firepower," said Hume.

"We're great at keeping the ball but it was only towards the end that we created chances in a panic.

"Their goal was a mistake on our part but, until then, we'd been compact and it was the first chance they'd ventured into our half.

"I hope that fans can see we're trying to change things by the people we have coming in. We need a fresh outlook and my message is 'let's give this a real go'."

Hume has set his side a target of seven points from their next three games.

After the Witton game, Matlock head to mid-table Stourbridge before a home game against Marine on February 7.

"We need wins against both Witton and Marine," said Hume.

"A point isn't much good but it would be OK somewhere like Stourbridge.

"I really want us to go for it; let's do our utmost to keep the club up. We won't stop fighting but we need to get this season over and then build for the next one.

"I'm here for the long term. Having spoken to people at the club and seen the fan base, Matlock Town shouldn't be struggling in this league; they should be up the other end competing for the play-offs.

"That's for the future. We just need to survive this season first."

Adam Yates and Phil Roe, injured in the Derbyshire Senior Cup win at Alfreton Town, are still struggling and face at least another week out.

STEVE McClaren has described Shaun Barker's return to training with Derby County's first team as "nothing short of a miracle".

Barker has been battling his way back from a horrendous knee injury suffered playing against Nottingham Forest in March 2012 – two years and 10 months ago.

On Tuesday, he trained with the first team for the first time since being carried off that night.

McClaren has praised the courage and character of the 32-year-old defender.

"I have seen some strange things and some miraculous things in football but to see Shaun training with the first team on Tuesday was nothing short of a miracle," said the head coach.

"When I first came to the club, that boy couldn't walk.

"He has fought and battled and kept his spirits high.

"He has always been around the place, he has never given in.

"He trained with us and did OK.

"As I said to the rest of the boys afterwards, that is a miracle, that is character, that is staying in the game and that epitomises what every player should have.

"He could have on several occasion given up but he hasn't.

"He wants to carry on and persevere and get back playing football. He has taken giant strides this week by getting back to a level where he can train.

"Hats off to him.

"To see him out there training was fantastic. It is one of the reasons you are involved in this game, to see things like that."

Asked if he thought Barker would play in a Derby shirt again, McClaren said: "I still think he is a long way from that and I think he knows that but just to play football at some level, just to be out there training with the boys is a huge lift for him and will give him the motivation and the confidence to go on."

AH, memories, courtesy of our Bygones page flashback – an FA Cup tie looming between sides three divisions apart, for which a hopeless playing surface threatened to give one side an unfair advantage.

Except, exactly 40 years ago, it was lowly Bristol Rovers who were training on Weston-super-Mare sands in a bid to find a playing surface similar to that which they were likely to encounter at the ground of League champions Derby County!

It will always remain one of football's endearing puzzles how such highly-skilled Rams players, for whom a billiard-table surface might have seemed more suited, enjoyed such sustained success despite playing half their games on a quagmire. Cultured players, agri-cultured facilities.

DERBY County midfielder John Eustace will be out for six to eight weeks.

The 35-year-old underwent a cartilage operation last week having played a key role in recent victories over Birmingham City, Leeds United and Ipswich Town.

Will Hughes (ankle/thigh) and Craig Bryson (hip) have returned to training ahead of tomorrow's FA Cup fourth round tie against Chesterfield at the iPro Stadium.

Hughes limped off at half-time during the Rams' home defeat by Nottingham Forest last weekend and his composure on the ball was missed as Derby let a one-goal lead slip to lose 2-1.

Head coach Steve McClaren said: "Will is back training, as is Craig Bryson and as long as they have no reaction, they should be available."

Derby are hopeful of receiving international clearance for new signing Raul Albentosa in time for the Chesterfield game.

The 'thumbs-up' needs to arrive before midday today for the 26-year-old Spanish defender to be eligible to feature against the Spireites.

Albentosa has been training with his new team-mates this week after joining the Rams last week as a free agent

The centre-back previously played for La Liga club Eibar.

Simon Dawkins is also training again after the winger missed the Forest clash.

"He had to miss out because of personnel reasons, family reasons. That is continuing this week but he has come in for a few days and he comes back into contention," McClaren added.

Derby are still looking to replace winger Jordon Ibe, who was recalled from his loan spell by Liverpool last week but McClaren has ruled out a move for Chelsea's Christian Atsu, who is on loan at Everton.

The 23-year-old is currently with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Rams' attacking midfielder Ivan Calero could be heading to Burton Albion on loan. The 19-year-old has been training with the Brewers.

McClaren said: "We are just giving him a change of environment. We said it might be interesting to go down for a day or two and train and see if he can develop from that.

"It is about under-21 players gaining experience. We have got Kwame Thomas and Alefe Santos out on loan at Notts County."

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There are so many things to do in Derbyshire thanks to its rich history and beautiful countryside. Here, reporter Amy Guard has compiled a list of 31 must-do activities and experiences.

RECOVERING from injury is all about clearing a number of hurdles before you can return to action. I feel like I cleared a big hurdle this week.

I trained with the first team for the first time in two years and 10 months since shattering my knee playing against Nottingham Forest in March 2012.

I've been training with the under-21s a couple of times a week for the past three or four weeks and it felt a little bit better and easier with each session.

The physios and I asked if I could join in with the first team fairly soon, although I didn't realise it would be on Tuesday.

The day before, I had some tightness in my back and I thought I would spend Tuesday doing a session with the fitness coach only for the gaffer to say 'look, if you want to join in, you can do'.

I didn't need a second invitation.

I'll let you into a little secret. It is quite funny, given how long I've been out with my knee, but my back seized up after only 20 seconds of being out there with the first team lads.

I didn't want to say anything and I trained for pretty much the whole session with back pain rather than knee pain!

I'll admit, I was nervous. I felt like a new signing and Wardy (Jamie Ward) introduced me as the 'new boy'.

We did a little bit of possession, some team shape and then finished off with a game.

I had a little role as the No.10, though I'm not sure it will be my new position. I'll tell you what – Chrissy Martin makes it look easy, he really does.

Although I came out on the losing side in the game, it was great to be out there again and I have to say that the standard of the lads was very high.

It was the first time I had trained with the majority of the players because most have arrived at the club since I last played.

Being out there again was a moment I had been looking forward to for a long time.

I've got a few more training sessions with the first team to go before I am ready for an under-21 game. Having trained, it feels like a game is a realistic proposition – and not too far away.

It was another test, another hurdle but I know there is still a fair way to go.

The knee is still slightly uncomfortable and I am still wary of certain things but I am hoping that within the next three or four weeks I will be close to joining in an under-21 game, whether that is for 10 or 15 minutes, 30 minutes or half a game.

It is something that, hopefully, is not too far away.

As soon as you get back into training you have to start thinking less and less about the knee.

All your rehab is structured and so you know what is coming. You know how you have to react to certain fitness sessions but there is nothing like training or being in a game situation to test your body.

People will think I'll be worried about making that first tackle, that first block or that first 50-50 but I am thinking completely the opposite. I am looking forward to it.

I was not worried about the knee in that first session back under the watchful eye of the gaffer and his coaches. I was more worried about not trying to stand out and not looking like somebody who had been out for almost three years.

It felt good driving home from training in the afternoon, apart from the back twinges!

I told the wife about my day and there was a nod and appreciation between us that we have got over another hurdle, made another step.

Now on to the next hurdle, a game.

This week has been a huge step but I only see it as a job half done.

Hopefully, the last part of my rehab will go the quickest.