Nigel Pearson: Derby County boss urges his side to be more ruthless

Derby County played out a goalless draw with Brighton in Nigel Pearson's first competitive game in charge of the club

Derby County boss Nigel Pearson says he wants his side to play with a merciless attitude after they edged through to the EFL Cup second round with a 1-0 win against League Two side Grimsby.

Richard Keogh sent the Championship side through with the game's only goal.

"I want to be more ruthless everywhere, in terms of how we defend, how we use the ball in the middle third and how we finish moves," he told BBC Radio Derby.

"I'm not one for allowing our opponents dictate the pace of games."

Derby reached the second round for the third time in five seasons but were given a late scare when Grimsby's Kayden Jackson saw his shot cleared off the line.

"We need to play with more urgency and drive," Pearson said. "We could have made it a lot easier for ourselves."

Derby spent heavily on players last season, paying club-record fees to bring in Bradley Johnson and Tom Ince.

However, Pearson is yet to make a signing since his arrival at the club earlier this summer.

"I hope I'm not messing about in the last few days [of the transfer window], I can't stand all that," Pearson said.

"I know it's frustrating at times, especially for our fan base, but we'll only add to the players that we already have if we can significantly improve the squad."