Nathaniel Mendez-Laing: Derby County winger surprised by assists record
- Published
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has provided almost double the amount of assists in League One that he managed for Derby last season
Derby County forward Nathaniel Mendez-Laing admits he keeps a constant eye of his assists tally, but was surprised to learn he set a club record in Saturday's win at Bristol Rovers.
The 31-year-old set Tom Barkhuizen up for a goal, and took his league tally of assists to 15 for the season.
Craig Bryson's 14 in the 2013-14 league season was the previous best since the statistic began being recorded.
"I love providing assists," Mendez-Laing said when told of the record.
"I didn't know, but it is now nice to know that [the record].
"I do know my tally, I've got a little board at home in the kitchen so I see it every day.
"And not just for that reason, but as a bit more motivation - and that's for goals, assists, games and wins that we might need."
Mendez-Laing is still seven assists short of the League One record of 22, which Grant McCann produced for Peterborough in the 2010-11 season.
The Rams winger has been instrumental for the Rams this season, having scored eight league goals to go with all those he has laid off for team-mates.
Derby's win at Bristol Rovers moved the Rams back up to second in the table and into the automatic promotion spots with nine matches remaining.
And it is a return to the Championship after a two-year absence that Mendez-Laing is most focused on when studying that board at home.
"We all have different strengths, but one of mine is providing assists," he told BBC Radio Derby.
"Thankfully, I can do that, but it would just be nice to get something to go with it at the end of it."
Derby next host relegation-threatened Reading on Tuesday.