Derby County

Defender Matt Clarke says Derby County have "embraced" their fight for Championship survival.

The 28-year-old returned to the club for a third spell in January, moving back to Pride Park on a permanent deal from second-tier rivals Middlesbrough.

In the first of his two loan stints with Derby, he won the club's Jack Stamps Player of the Season award for the 2019-20 season when the club finished 10th in the Championship.

The following season he helped the Rams narrowly avoid relegation.

Clarke spoke to BBC East Midlands Today about how valuable that experience has been now that he and the Rams are again battling to stay in the division.

"Where we found ourselves in the league isn't ideal, but that's the challenge of football and you have got to embrace it," he said.

"Personally it was an experience that I learned from and I take with me forward into this time.

"You just have to keep going and attack every game as it comes. There is disappointment along the way but you have to keep believing and trying to do the right things. If you do that, you give yourselves the best chance."

Derby are outside the relegation places on goal difference with five matches remaining and next travel to Portsmouth on Saturday.

"That is an absolutely classic John Eustace performance: hard to beat, don't offer up any chances, defend at all times."

Colin Gibson, Ed Dawes and Eric Steele discuss Derby's goalless draw against promotion-hopefuls Burnley at Pride Park and give their views on the Rams' Championship survival hopes.

The episode also includes post-match interviews with Derby boss John Eustace and captain Ebou Adams.

Listen to the full post-match reaction and more on the Rams Daily podcast.

Image source, Rex Features

Boss John Eustace praised his side's unity after holding high-flying Burnley to a draw at Pride Park.

The Rams matched the Clarets in a game of few chances and picked up a point and a clean sheet to stay out the Championship relegation places.

"I am very proud of the group - and the fans," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby. "We went toe to toe against a very good team and on another day we could have nicked a winner.

"The lads are very well drilled. We kept our concentration for 95 minutes. Every player on the pitch did their jobs. We showed we are together against a very good team.

"It took us 20 minutes to get into the game; we were a bit nervous. But as soon as we adjusted a few things with our shape we were on the front foot and we finished the first half very strong.

"In the second half, we competed really well and limited Burnley to nothing, really. And, on another day, maybe we could have nicked a winner."

Derby County boss John Eustace has been speaking to BBC Radio Derby's Rams Daily podcast ahead of the game against Burnley on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

Here are the key takeaways:

• Defender Callum Elder is "improving" following an injury against Swansea, but has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks.

• Eustace also praised Sondre Langas, who he said "has been using a lot of painkillers" to get through injury struggles, but that his willingness to "put his body on the line for the group is amazing".

• On Burnley, he said: "They've got matchwinners and quality all over the pitch, and they're a well organised team. Scott [Parker] is a fantastic manager and is doing a really good job".

• Despite the Rams lifting themselves out of the drop zone in recent weeks, Eustace said the "the Championship is relentless", and that he has been "surprised" by the number of injuries to the squad.

• He added: "[We had] four in my first week, got a settled team for four or five games and then lost more players last week".

Listen to Derby boss John Eustace's full interview with the Rams Daily podcast on BBC Sounds.

Derby County saw their four-match win streak come to an end against Swansea and now take on the tough task of hosting new league leaders Burnley on Tuesday (19:45 BST).

The Clarets took top spot following a 2-1 win over play-off contenders Coventry City and have not conceded a league defeat since November.

However, they are only one point above second placed Sheffield United, with Leeds United just two points behind in third, and will need a victory to ensure they stay in an automatic promotion place.

While, the Rams are in desperate need of points themselves. Their latest loss means they are now only kept out of the relegation zone by goal difference.

• Derby County are winless in their last 13 league meetings with Burnley (D4 L9) since a 1-0 victory in January 2007 under Billy Davies.

• Burnley have won four of their last five league visits to Derby (D1), as many as their previous 25 beforehand.

• Derby have won each of their last three home league games but haven't won four in a row in the Championship since February 2021.

• Burnley are unbeaten in their last 16 league games against newly promoted opponents (W10 D6) since a 0-2 defeat to Norwich in the Premier League in April 2022. In the Championship, the Clarets' last defeat to a promoted side was in December 2015 (0-2 v Preston).

• Derby's John Eustace has failed to win all four of his previous Championship games against Burnley as a manager (D2 L2) twice with Birmingham in 2022-23 and two with Blackburn this season.

"It's knocked the stuffing out of us, that performance. At the very least, the Rams should be coming back with a point."

Dominic Dietrich and Ed Dawes are joined by former Rams striker Malcolm Christie to discuss the end of Derby's magical four-match winning run after a single goal at Swansea and the fine margins that defined the game.

Would a high-quality centre-forward have proved the difference?

Includes interviews with boss John Eustace and midfielder Liam Thompson.

Listen to the full post-match reaction and more on the Rams Daily podcast.

Image source, Getty Images

John Eustace says Derby County will address Jerry Yates' future at the end of the season.

Yates has enjoyed a positive campaign having joined Derby on a year-long loan from Swansea last summer.

The striker is the Rams' leading scorer this season having netted eight times in 36 appearances.

As things stand, Yates will return to Swansea at the end of the season, as he is under contract at the Welsh club until at least 2026.

When asked whether he would like to keep Yates beyond the summer, Derby boss Eustace said: "I think Jerry has done very well - that is something we will discuss at the end of the year."

Yates is thought to be one of the higher earners at Swansea having joined from Blackpool in a deal worth about £3m in 2023.

What comes next for the former Rotherham United player is likely to depend to some extent on who is in charge at Swansea, with caretaker boss Alan Sheehan only in place - for the moment at least - for the remainder of this campaign.

Yates was ineligible to feature as Sheehan's Swansea beat Derby 1-0 on Saturday.

When asked whether Yates' absence had been a factor in Derby's first defeat in five games, Eustace added: "Jerry's been great.

"He scored on Wednesday [against Preston] but [Kayden] Jackson came in and did well, he worked his socks off as the rest of the group did."

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

After Wednesday night's game against Preston lacked quality, hopes were high that Derby's trip to Swansea would provide a bit more excitement.

Unfortunately though, this wasn't to be the case.

Once again there was very little to report on for both sides in the first half, with a deja vu feeling from Wednesday night; a lot of hard-to-break-down defensive play and a lack of attacking impetus from both sides left the contest rightfully goalless.

Derby fans were left sighing and scratching their heads at half-time, as the electronic board showed Oxford United and Plymouth Argyle had taken unexpected leads, making the Championship relegation picture look even tighter.

Three points would've been ideal, of course, but as much as we have looked unstoppable in the past couple of weeks, small tweaks to the starting line-up for the Rams really disrupted our flow, and the consensus at the break seemed to be that we'd be happy to take a point.

Swansea loanee Jerry Yates needing to sit this one out proved to be a big loss, with little attacking threat posed by the Rams all afternoon.

The legs of Yates up front have been a crucial cog in Derby's well-oiled machine for these last four games, applying pressure, creating space for others to advance into, and providing great link-up with Marcus Harness.

Despite Kayden Jackson's work rate, and best efforts to replicate the role of Yates, things just wouldn't drop for him. With the mood in the stands becoming increasingly tense as many believed it just wouldn't be Derby's day.

That would be true, as with their only shot on target of the whole game Swansea took the lead. Extremely frustrating from a Derby perspective as it seemed we'd had the better moments in the match, but just weren't able to find the right decision at the end of a move, the killer pass, or the right strike to give us the advantage.

The old cliché of when it's not your day, it's not your day.

I suppose no team in the bottom five is expected to win five games on the bounce, but to lose to a team who equally offered very little in the way of attacking threat is disappointing.

Despite every other team in the bottom seven bettering Derby's result, the Rams have still managed to stay above the relegation places on goal difference. Really echoing how important wins against Blackburn, Coventry, Plymouth, and Preston have been to keeping Derby's survival hopes alive.

John Eustace will now see his group of players go through a true test of character as they attempt to bounce back from the weekend's disappointment.

Burnley make the trip to Pride Park on Tuesday evening, arriving with a great amount of incentive to win the game and increase their lead at the top of the table.

It will be interesting to see how the squad respond to having their great run of form halted, and how quickly they can dust themselves down and leave this game behind them.

Crucial matches against Hull, Luton, and Stoke you feel will be the real season definers, it's just important we try and gain back some momentum as quick as we can to go into those games with as much confidence as possible.

You can often catch Amelia Warren, external as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.

Image source, Getty Images

Derby head coach John Eustace felt the Rams were unlucky not to come away with at least a point from Saturday's trip to Swansea.

Eustace's side remain outside the Championship relegation zone on goal difference alone after the 1-0 defeat in Wales.

"I thought we did well and limited a very good Swansea side to next to nothing," Eustace said.

"I was disappointed in the way we conceded the goal because that hasn't been us of late.

"We needed to defend the box better because if you give a quality team half a chance they will punish you.

"We have just got to keep working hard and be as competitive as we can in every game. The effort of the group was outstanding and we didn't get the result we probably deserved.

"We didn't create many chances but neither did they - it was a tight game.

"It is a mad few weeks coming up but that's the Championship. That's why all we can do is concentrate on what we can do."

Image source, Getty Images

Alan Sheehan says Jerry Yates' long-term future will be discussed at the end of the season as Swansea City prepare to face the striker's loan club this Saturday (15:00 BST).

Yates has enjoyed a positive spell at Derby County this season, and scored his eighth goal of the campaign – in his 36th appearance – as the Rams beat Preston North End on Wednesday.

But the 28-year-old will be ineligible to feature when Derby take on his parent club at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Yates, who joined Swansea from Blackpool in a deal worth about £3m in 2023, is under contract at the Welsh club until at least 2026.

"Jerry came in last year and it was an up and down year for him, but he's gone to Derby and played regular games which was the plan," said Swansea caretaker boss Sheehan.

"He's doing really well there and [his future] will be a conversation in the summer I'm sure."

As for this weekend, Sheehan says Derby "have replacements who can come in and do a similar job" to Yates as they target a fifth straight league victory.

John Eustace's rejuvenated team climbed out of the relegation places thanks to the Preston win and would close to within a point of Swansea with an away triumph.

"It's going to be a dogfight because of how they play," Sheehan said.

"They are winning games, they have found a formula to do so. They've got momentum and momentum is powerful.

"But that's them, we have to focus on ourselves. We believe that if we give the best version of ourselves, we are a test for even the top teams now."

Derby County right-back Ryan Nyambe is awaiting the results of a scan to access his availability for the Rams trip to Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The 27-year-old Namibia international was sidelined for 18 league games with a torn ligament injury earlier in the season before missing Blackburn Rovers' visit in March with a hamstring issue.

"It's really unfortunate for Ryan," boss John Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"He's a dedicated professional, he does everything super correct but, unfortunately, he's just having a bad time of it at the moment."

Eustace also sung the praises of midfielder and Derby academy product Liam Thompson.

The 22-year-old is becoming a regular feature under his new boss, joining the starting line-up for all four of the Rams' successive league wins.

"Liam is one of our own and he's came through the system, and I think his performances up until now have been very, very good," Eustace added.

"It's one of the reasons I came to the football club.

"I've got a really good record of developing young players, and I want as many young players coming through the system so we can really build."

Listen to the full pre-match press conference and more on the Rams Daily podcast.

Swansea City host the most in form team in the Championship on Saturday (15:00 BST) but visitors Derby County still may seem themselves in League One next season.

Over the past four league games, no team has performed as well as the Rams, winning all four to drag themselves out of the relegation zone but only by a single point.

A loss for Derby could see them re-enter the bottom three and burst the buoyant bubble they have enjoyed under new boss John Eustace.

Though the Swans' form has not been so bright, winless over their past three games (L2 D1) and just five points into safety themselves - could Derby extend their winning run to a fifth game?

• Swansea City are looking to complete a league double over Derby County for the first time since the 09-10 campaign.

• Derby have lost each of their last two away league visits to Swansea, losing both games 2-1 in 2020-21 and 2021-22 under Wayne Rooney.

• Swansea have lost four of their last six home league matches (W2), as many as they'd lost in their previous 16 home games combined (W7 D5 L4).

• Although they had the fewest shots of any side in March in the Championship (29), Derby scored seven times, converting 24.1% of their shots last month.

• Swansea's Zan Vipotnik has scored six Championship goals this season; the only Slovenians with more in a season in the competition are Robert Koren (9 in 2007-08, 7 in 2010-11, 10 in 2011-12 and 9 in 2012-13) and Andraz Sporar (8 in 2021-22).

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The first half against Preston North End proved to be typical post-international break display - very stop-start, plenty of sloppy play from both sides.

This set up a pretty bleak atmosphere inside Pride Park, with neither set of supporters having much to really get excited about.

The half-time whistle blew and the collective yawns in the stands just about summed it up. John Eustace's half-time team talk no doubt focused on trying to break down Preston's rigid low block, with more energy and attacking intent.

Whatever was said, it definitely helped.

With only three minutes of the second half played, Mr Derby County himself, Craig Forsyth, slotted home beautifully in the box following a corner that was headed down into his path by Nat Phillips. A goal from the veteran left-back, taken like a striker in his prime.

The South Stand bounced, chants of "the Rams are staying up" rang out all around Pride Park and, before they knew it, Derby had a second just four minutes later.

Another goal created by the head of Phillips, this time bundled in by Jerry Yates five yards out, pretty much killed the game off - which is something we haven't been able to say many times this season.

Derby had struggled for so long under Paul Warne to take the lead and double it, often finding themselves caught out by being too negative after going ahead.

However, since the arrival of Eustace the Rams have become much better at smelling blood and getting the insurance goal to end the contest.

The new boss is getting the best out of this group of players, increasing their confidence and performance levels as the weeks go on.

Pride Park was electric at full-time, with fans staying behind to celebrate with Eustace and the team as they climbed out of the relegation zone.

Jacob Zetterstrom did his signature roly-poly in front of the South Stand to joyful chants. From the fans to the players to the staff, everyone is on the same page.

Derby have suddenly become one of the Championship's most in-form teams.

With the momentum, confidence, and desire this team are oozing at the moment, it's hard to know who will be able to stop them. Suddenly survival looks much more likely for the Rams than the other six teams in the relegation picture.

The job that Eustace is doing with this Derby County side, who looked all but down and out just a few weeks ago, is nothing short of remarkable.

You can often catch Amelia Warren, external as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.

Image source, Rex Features

Derby County goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom says the 2-0 win over Preston was an "amazing night" but the team are now fully focused on the next game.

The Rams are one point above the relegation zone and travel to Swansea City on Saturday for another important match in the fight to stay in the Championship.

"It's very important, obviously," the 26-year-old told BBC Radio Derby's Rams Daily podcast.

"We've still got seven more games and we have to take every single game as it comes.

"We're very happy now but tomorrow, work starts for the upcoming game and we look forward to it.

"I know it's a bit dull to think like that, but the work we put in every single day is to make sure we stay up in this league.

"We've done great so far in the last few weeks and we just have to continue to build on that."

Zetterstrom said Derby have put "a lot" of hard work into winning four games in a row and keeping two clean sheets in that time.

"I'm just so happy for every single lad out there who put in the effort to make sure we scored those two goals and make sure they scored none," he added.

Listen to all the reaction to Derby's victory over Preston on the Rams Daily podcast on BBC Sounds.

Former Derby County striker Malcolm Christie says it's a "collective effort" between the players, head coach John Eustace and fans which has helped them to a fourth win on the bounce.

The 2-0 victory over Preston at Pride Park on Friday evening was the first time the Rams have won four consecutive games since March last year in League One - and the first in the Championship since July 2020.

"A job well done, isn't it?" Christie told the Rams Daily podcast after the win moved Derby out of the relegation zone and one point clear of danger with seven matches remaining.

"The performance in that first half was a forgettable performance in many respects.

"But they came out with a renewed vigour in that second half. I've said it all the time, just get the ball in the right areas and this Rams team have got players there that can attack the ball.

"Credit to Callum Elder again putting the ball into the right areas, Nat Phillips attacking the ball. Fantastic.

"And obviously the finishing… Craig Forsyth, really good finish on his left foot and Jerry Yates, Johnny-on-the-spot in the six-yard box for 2-0.

"Derby players warmly applauded the fans who were terrific again. To hear the crowd and just to see that league table. How much better does this feel?"

Christie said "this is what we've wanted" and that Eustace was "as animated as we've seen him" at full-time.

"He's loving it, as the players should and as the fans should as well," Christie added.

"It's been a long, hard slog of a season in many respects and finally things are looking up and not down at the moment.

"Credit to the support base that stuck by this team and finally we've got something to put smiles on our faces, which is brilliant."

Listen to all the reaction to Derby's victory over Preston on the Rams Daily podcast on BBC Sounds.

Derby County head coach John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby after his side's 2-0 win against Preston North End lifted them out of the relegation places.

"I'm very proud of the football club, the players, the staff, the fans. It's a huge effort [to win four Championship games in a row for the first time in five years], not down to any individual," he said.

"It's about a family. I spoke when I came in about wanting to create a family here at the football club and whatever happens this year it's important that we all grow together and we're successful together and that's not done in a short period. That's done over a long period.

"It's important that we don't get too carried away.

"We've got a huge game now on Saturday [at 16th-placed Swansea] and we'll prepare properly for that.

"It makes no difference if we're out the bottom three tonight. We want to be out of the bottom three after the last game of this season.

"That's all I'm worried about. We're making small steps forward. You can see there's a confidence in the group and that's all I can ask for."