Derby County 2 Leeds United 0

A desperate season for Leeds United ended on an all too familiar note when they were easily beaten at Pride Park.

Goals from Darren Currie and Tyrone Mears set Derby up for the play-offs against a Leeds side that had Robert Bayly sent off in the 71st minute.

The margin of defeat could have been even bigger and Leeds clearly have a lot of work ahead of them if they are to have any chance of returning to the Championship at the first attempt.

Phil Crossley lies in agony with two broken ribs

Derby's opening goal came in ten minutes of first-half stoppage time which was the result of an injury to match referee Phil Crossley.

He was stretchered off after Derby midfielder Seth Johnson collided with him on the edge of the Leeds penalty area in the fifth minute and was taken to hospital with a suspected back injury.

Carl Boyeson replaced him and was soon brandishing a yellow card at Alan Thompson for a needless foul on Morten Bisgaard.

Both teams had made changes for widely contrasting reasons, but Derby were still far superior to the visitors, who struggled to mount a serious threat to Stephen Bywater's goal in the first half.

Casper Ankergren was far busier and did well to keep out a deflected shot from Craig Fagan in the 38th minute.

Steve Howard - voted Player of the Year by the Derby fans - should have put the home side in front when Stephen Pearson played the ball in from the Leeds right, but he side-footed wide from six yards.

Derby made a change when Currie replaced Bisgaard and the substitute opened the scoring when Ankergren missed a cross and Johnson played the ball into Currie, who rolled a shot from eight yards into the bottom left corner.

Leeds made a change at half-time, taking off Hayden Foxe and bringing on Tom Elliott, but their only threat came from the free-kicks of Thompson who was denied by an excellent save from Bywater in the 48th minute.

But Derby still looked comfortable and, although they also made changes, they never looked like losing the lead.

The afternoon got worse for Leeds when Bayly fouled Fagan and then attempted to headbutt the midfielder.

Although he made no contact, the referee had no option but to show him a red card.

Jon Macken rattled the crossbar six minutes from the end but a second goal did arrive two minutes later.

Macken picked up a throw from Bywater and broke down the Leeds right and, when he played the ball infield, Mears ran through the middle of the defence and rolled a shot under Ankergren and inside the left-hand post.

The ten-point deduction that Leeds suffered when they went into administration on Friday meant they finished bottom, but Derby now have two play-off games against Southampton, who are managed by their former boss George Burley.