Paul Warne: Derby County boss says win at Oxford 'best I've felt' as Rams manager

Derby have won 14 matches and drawn eight of Paul Warne's 27 League One games in charge, losing only five

Derby boss Paul Warne says the Rams' win at Oxford was the best he has felt since becoming the club's manager.

Three straight away losses at promotion rivals Wycombe, Barnsley and Plymouth had dented County's top-six bid.

But they fought back from conceding an early goal to win 3-2 to go fifth and establish a seven-point gap to seventh-placed Wycombe, who lost at Burton.

"If we had lost and Wycombe won, all of a sudden you get the heebie-jeebies," Warne told BBC Radio Derby.

"You can only look after your own games but it is nice when you come off and you know not everyone in the top 10 has won, it makes the win feel better."

Derby have not lost at Pride Park in 12 matches since Warne's first home game in charge in early October - a 2-1 defeat by Port Vale - but had won just two of their previous eight away trips before Saturday.

"I'm really pleased because I know there are different ways to win and it showed a bit of grit - we've been a bit soft-centred in parts of our away performances this year," Warne added.

"It wasn't a game for the purists but I don't care, it's about winning. It's given the lads a real boost as they had to dig in, although conceding late on made it look a lot closer than it felt.

"I'm really pleased, especially because we went a goal down, and it just shows the character of the group.

"I said to them after the game it's the best I've felt, everybody enjoying the win, everyone on the bench, everyone who came off cheering the lads on. It felt a real togetherness and you need that in a group."