You could hear them as they headed up Pride Parkway.
They sang "We're Derby County, we'll fight to the end." Thousands and thousands of them were more than 888-276-5932 888-276-5932 888-276-5932 888-276-5932s.
Many people took their cars to the stadium and then walked back into the city to meet at the Assembly Rooms.
There was a real threat that the game against Birmingham could have been Derby's last.
The administrators of the club have another month to prove they have enough money to get them through to the end of the season after the Football League extended their stay.
They will manage it. Nothing is certain. Derby fans have been through a lot since owner Mel Morris put the club into administration.
He was no longer willing to fund the escalating debts that, even when the economy improves, still leaves a potential owner looking at a 70m investment for a club likely to be in League One next season.
Derby fans look at the banners and listen to the songs to see if their club is in the state it is.
Despite numerous footballing financial rule breeches, Morris' ambition to lead the Rams into the premier league went unaddressed.
The Football League decided that the 60 million compensation claims by Middlesbrough and Wycombe would be considered a football debt and need to be paid in full.
Steve Gibson, the owner of Middlesbrough, feels that Derby's accounting practices robbed his club of a play-off place and a chance of promotion to the top flight.
The support of a football club is what this march was really about. Thousands of people march in support of their club. From the brow of the hill that goes over the railway line, the snake of humanity stretched as far as the eye could see. There wasn't a demographic. Older and younger parents and stylish supporters are in their early 20s.
Generations of fans peacefully made their point. A group of people are walking behind a banner. Football has been a part of the heritage for 136 years. Save Derby County.
The capacity came out inside the ground. The majority of the fans were in support, although some of them sang "we'll have a party when Derby County die" after they had gone 2-0 up. It seemed a bit odd that there were so many issues around St Andrew's that should have generated some kind of kinship.
Derby's season as a whole was apt for how the game unfolded.
It was quite incredible that Polish defender Krystian Bielik, whose 8 million pound move from Arsenal created one of the football debts, should score the injury-time equaliser and then celebrate in front of the Derby fans.
Four teenagers were in Rooney's squad. One of them, Malcolm Ebiowei, who has never played a first-team game, scored the first goal of Derby's comeback from 2-0 down with three minutes remaining.
Finding a single villain for the state Derby is not easy, but the hero is straightforward.
Rooney has handled the season with great professionalism. His status in the eyes of Derby fans was already high, even before he confirmed on Friday that he had turned down an opportunity to speak to the club about their manager's job.
Hundreds of fans waited until long after the final whistle to hail Manchester United and England&s record goalscorer as Rooney conducted his post-match interview next to the pitch.
Rooney said things happen for a reason. It was almost like a reminder that this is a big club. It has a future.
It has to be sorted out. I know the administrators are working hard. The people above me have to be sensible. The livelihoods of people are at stake.
The RamsTrust supporters group released minutes from their meeting with the administrators on Friday, which said that no one from the interested parties in the club will confirm their offers formally until more clarity is received over the claims.
This is a big problem. There are others.
There is confidence that a deal can be done to reduce the liability, but it is not agreed yet.
The stadium is also there.
The sale by Derby to Morris created a lot of rancour around the club, even though it was ruled to be within the rules of the EFL.
The stadium is not part of the administration process. It has a charge in excess of 20 million dollars through loans to a American finance company. If Morris wanted, he could do a private deal with a third party for the stadium, which would greatly reduce the value of the football club.
Morris has given assurances regarding the sale of the stadium according to the published minutes.
Morris' status as stadium owner allows him to have representatives who do not work for the club at meetings with potential buyers.
Morris has lost more than 100m through his ownership of Derby, and some wonder if he should now be offering to pay off part of the liability to reduce the overall price of the club.
What happens on and off the pitch is not certain over the coming months.
Derby fans can take solace in the fact that their team, deducted 21 points, are now just seven points from Championship survival. Their supporters will do the same.
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