Derby County

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Shuttershock

Last week I touched on how the squad's togetherness is having a positive impact on their performances, a trait which once again shone through, as Derby County overcame Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday.

Another important factor in being able to hit such a good run of form has been the way Derby have scored goals, and created chances for their strikers.

Four of the Rams' past seven league goals have come from crosses, with right wing-back Joe Ward providing three assists in that time.

Since joining the club, he has been credited for his crossing and ability at set-pieces. These are qualities which had been hard to showcase consistently because of the lack of physicality, and the presence of an 'out-and-out number 9' in Derby's attack.

Until this season of course.

With the introductions of Ben Brereton Diaz, Patrick Agyemang, and the man of the moment, Carlton Morris, Derby now have a presence up front.

They are attacking players who have bags of stature and strength, and excel by utilising those qualities to get on the end of balls into the box. This has allowed Ward to have arguably his best run of form in a Derby shirt.

There have always been glimpses of brilliance with Ward. The main moment that comes to mind is his wonder free-kick against West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup earlier this season. Not forgetting that he had spent seven months sidelined with injury before that moment.

As more of an attack-minded defender, it wasn't suitable for head coach John Eustace to play him as part of a back four at the beginning of the campaign and, until the return of Sondre Langas, Derby couldn't deploy their preferred back-five system.

With summer signing Max Johnston's injury sidelining him for six to eight weeks, Ward has been offered the chance to reignite his Derby career, and so far I would say he's done exactly that, consistently creating chances that have produced match-winning moments.

I would also argue on current form it may be difficult for Johnston to walk back into the starting line-up when he returns. With Derby possessing such an aerial threat in the box at present, you would be surprised to see perhaps the club's best crosser of a ball drop to the bench.

However, being able to have such strength in depth in pretty much every position this season only reinforces the ambitions of all at the club, and the direction Derby are heading.

Once more we're seeing Eustace bring the best out of players who haven't been able to make their mark consistently in the past. As a supporter, it feels extremely refreshing to have so much competition for places rather than a predictable starting XI and bench because we're having to make do with what we've got.

I'm excited to see what else is to come from Ward after the international break. If he can maintain his form and, more importantly, his fitness, he could play a really key part in where the Rams finish come May.

Derby County boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby after Saturday's 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers.

"I'm very proud, obviously. I'm delighted with the effort," he said.

"I thought in the first half we were really good and in the second half there as nothing in the game, it was a bit dead, and we gave them something to fight for.

"The way the lads dug in at the end at the back end of a three-game week was sensational.

"We are still trying to find our way as a team, but the most important thing is that we are being competitive and that we keep building."

Image source, Opta

Subplots galore as two of the Championship's form teams meet on Saturday lunchtime with red-hot Derby County heading to Blackburn Rovers (12:30 GMT).

It's a first return for John Eustace who swapped a play-off push at Ewood Park for a relegation scrap at Pride Park in February.

Eustace's Rams beat Hull City 2-1 on Tuesday to make it four straight league wins and climb to 11th, within three points of the play-off places.

Valerien Ismael's Rovers won 1-0 at Bristol City on the same night to register a third straight win and lie seven places but only four points back, with a game in hand, and now have a seven point cushion over the relegation zone.

• Blackburn Rovers have won each of their past six home league games against Derby County, since a goalless draw in October 2015.

• Derby County won 2-1 when they last faced Blackburn Rovers in March this year, last winning back-to-back league meetings with the Rovers in the 2014-15 campaign under Steve McClaren.

• Blackburn Rovers have won each of their past three league games, more wins than they managed across their first 10 Championship matches this season (W2 D1 L7) – they could win three in a row to nil for the first time since December 2024, a run of five under current Derby County boss John Eustace.

• Derby County are currently on the joint-longest winning run in the EFL (4 – level with Stockport County) and the Rams will be aiming to win five consecutive league games for the first time since December 2023 in League One.

• Carlton Morris has scored nine goals in his 14 league appearances for Derby County, more than he managed last season for Luton Town (8) – only in 2022-23 (20), 2023-24 (11) and 2020-21 (10) has the 29-year-old reached double figures in his league career.

Derby County head coach John Eustace has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's trip to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Here are the main talking points:

• Following Derby's four-game winning run, Eustace puts the recent success down to the playing squad "believing the process" and having the right attitude for winning. The squad had to battle through "injuries, suspensions and lack of form" before settling into a winning rhythm, he said.

• Eustace is impressed with the progress made by goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom - particularly with his kicking - under the guidance of specialist coach Paul Clements, describing him as "one of the top performers" in the league at the moment.

• The return to Ewood Park for Eustace will be "fine", he said. Eustace managed Saturday's opponents Blackburn last season before leaving to join the Rams and said he thinks of his decision "positively" describing Derby as his "home".

• Patrick Agyemang is yet to fulfil his potential in his new role on the left-hand side. He's "doing well" adapting to Championship football simultaneously to a new position, said Eustace.

• Owen Beck trained on Thursday. He'll be assessed ahead of the Blackburn game and if he is unavailable on Saturday, Eustace is "confident" he will be available for the Watford game following the international break.

Listen to more from John Eustace and all things Derby County on Sounds.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Derby County's sudden upturn in form has been nothing short of spectacular, with four wins out of five matches since returning from the October international break.

A combination of five at the back, with energy and technical ability from David Ozoh and Bobby Clark in midfield, a number nine who can't stop scoring, and a real sense of togetherness has led the Rams to look pretty unstoppable in recent weeks.

Perhaps one of the most notable signs of the squad's togetherness came at the end of Tuesday's 2-1 win over Hull City, as Lars Jorgen-Salvesen came off the bench to score his first Pride Park goal for the club.

After the Norwegian struck the winner, the Derby bench erupted, all of the outfield players sprinted the length of the pitch to join in the celebrations, and at full-time Salvesen was pushed towards the South Stand by his peers to take all the plaudits from the fans.

Pretty special scenes to witness for a player who has struggled to get many minutes, has had to work extremely hard after spending time out with injury, and clearly has so much passion for the club.

Salvesen's heroics haven't been the only sign that this team seems to have a strong bond.

At the weekend, Carlton Morris was praised on the pitch after the match, and later on social media, by all of his team-mates for scoring his first career hat-trick.

He also put in a crunching tackle on a Hull player, after Ozoh had been on the receiving end of a late challenge minutes prior.

Danny Batth stormed off the bench to defend fellow centre-back Dion Sanderson at full-time last night, as tensions from both camps boiled over.

And Jacob Zetterstrom celebrated as if Derby had scored as he raced out of his goal to chest bump Sondre Langas for making a last ditch, goal-saving tackle.

These moments are just a few examples of how close-knit this team seem to be at the moment. The connection between staff, players, and fans feels like it is at its peak since John Eustace joined the club.

Whilst you have to have the quality to win football matches, which Derby absolutely have for the past few weeks, you also have to have a group of players who are willing to fight for each other, and that has been shown in abundance over the past four matches.

No Championship games are easy, but if there was a fixture where the squad would need to stick together and fight for each other, it would be Blackburn Rovers away.

After Eustace took the bragging rights last season, Blackburn fans, staff, and players are no doubt ready to taunt their former boss for 90 minutes on Saturday, as they 'welcome' him back to Ewood Park.

With both teams going into the fixture in good form, and with plenty of incentive from both camps to win the game, the Rams' togetherness will be more crucial than ever on their quest to make it five from five, and remain in the top half of the table.

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

Derby County boss John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby following Tuesday night's 2-1 victory against Hull City.

"I thought first half we were excellent. We were playing against a really good team that had been six unbeaten, and who had a couple of really good wins," he said.

"In the second half we lost our way a little bit, we dropped too deep. But it's about the squad and we found a way in the second half to make sure we got the three points.

"I thought the way we defended the box was excellent, Jake [Widell Zetterstrom] made a couple of top saves. And when you are going through difficult moments you have to defend with your life, and we certainly did that in the second half.

"I'm really proud of Lars [Salvesen] scoring. He has obviously been through a lot since he has been at the football club and he has worked his absolute socks off to get into a position to challenge Carlton [Morris] and to get onto the bench. I thought he took his goal very well."

Derby County welcome Hull City to Pride Park (19:45 GMT) with both sides in excellent form.

John Eustace's side have won their last three games, having only won once in their opening 10.

Hull are coming into this one after an impressive 2-0 victory over struggling Norwich City on Saturday and sit seventh in the standings with the playoffs in sight already.

• Derby County have won nine of their last 12 league games against Hull City (D2 L1), with their only defeat in that time coming in October 2019 (0-2 away).

• Hull City won three consecutive away games against Derby County between the 2010-11 and 2012-13 campaigns but are winless in six visits to Pride Park in the league since (D1 L5).

• Derby County ended a run of eight home league games without victory (D5 L3) by beating Norwich and QPR 1-0 in their final two home matches of October – the Rams last won three in a row at Pride Park in March/April this year.

• Hull City have lost each of their last five midweek (Tue/Wed/Thu) away games in the Championship without scoring (6 conceded) since a 3-1 win at QPR in October 2024.

• Derby County manager John Eustace has won each of his three meetings with Hull City in the Championship away from home, but has lost both of his two at home by the same 1-0 scoreline (with Birmingham in December 2022 and Blackburn in December 2024).

Derby County boss John Eustace spoke BBC Radio Derby after Saturday's 3-1 win at Sheffield United.

"It was a really good performance from the lads. They were fantastic and their attitude from the first minute was very good," he said.

"You can see that we are building and growing in the right way."

On Morris and his hat-trick, Eustace added: "Since he has come in, he has been exceptional. He is a top professional and real mentor to the rest of the group.

"He is a top leader and top player. At 29 we have got a real top performer and the recruitment in the summer to get him was exceptional. He has got a real big part to play from now until the end of the season."

Sheffield United will look to escape the bottom three as they host Derby County on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Blades are one point below 21st placed Blackburn Rovers, winning two of their past three games but losing their latest outing against Preston North End.

However, Derby County are also looking for space away from the bottom and have won both their previous two games to provide a five point gap between themselves and their hosts on the table.

• Sheffield United have won four of their last five league games against Derby County (L1), winning both fixtures during last season 1-0.

• Derby County have lost each of their last four away league games against Sheffield United, failing to score in each of their last two visits to Bramall Lane.

• Sheffield United have won two of their last three league games (L1), as many victories as across their prior 12 matches combined (D1 L9).

• Derby have won their last two Championship games 1-0, last winning three consecutive second tier matches to nil in January 2021 under Wayne Rooney (all 1-0).

• Sheffield United have netted just nine goals in the Championship this season, the fewest of any side. It's also the fewest that the Blades have netted after 12 matches of a league season outside the top-flight since 2010-11 (also 9), a campaign that ended in relegation to the third tier.

Derby County defender Max Johnston has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury, Rams boss John Eustace has confirmed.

The Scotland international was carried off in the 88th minute of the victory against Queens Park Rangers.

"Max isn't as bad as we initially first thought, which is great news, but unfortunately it's still going to be six to eight weeks," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"It's really unfortunate now he's going to be missing. It's a big blow to the team and to the squad.

"He's obviously very disappointed about being injured, but it's part of the job. It's (about) how he comes back, and he'll come back strong."

Listen to the full interview with Eustace and more Derby County content on BBC Sounds.

"I think it's going to be a really tough afternoon for Derby... I just don't know if it's going to be as easy as saying, 'Sheffield United are low on confidence.'

"Sheffield United, yes, they are struggling, but they are no mugs."

The Rams Weekly team reflect on their predictions so far and take a look ahead to Derby County's upcoming game against the Blades on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Listen to the full episode of Rams Weekly and more Derby County content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Shutterstock

Derby boss John Eustace was delighted with Carlton Morris for scoring the only goal on his debut as Rams skipper.

Morris' 10th-minute strike against QPR at Pride Park earned Derby their second home win and clean sheet in four days and Eustace feels the club are finally heading in the right direction.

He told BBC Radio Derby: "We made Carlton captain today and that was a captain's performance. Since he's been at the club, he's been a fantastic character and a great leader.

"That's five in 12, which is good and great for him, but his all-round game has been outstanding since he's been here.

"That's 12 games in, which is still very early in this league. There's been a lot of turnover and a lot of change with players and with systems.

"Everyone has to be very focused on doing what they can for Derby County and believe in the process. There are going to be highs and lows and when there are lows, we have to stick together. This is a small step in the right direction."

Derby County will look to turn their season around as they host Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Rams put an end to five league match winless streak when they beat Norwich City in the week to lift themselves out of catching distance of the bottom three.

Visitors QPR will be a different task though, with the side up the other end of the table and eyeing a place in the top six.

• Derby have lost five of their last seven league games against QPR (W2), losing 4-0 in the most recent meeting in February.

• QPR have only lost one of their last four away league games against Derby (W2 D1) but it came in the most recent visit last season, losing 2-0.

• Derby have won just one of their last nine home league games (D5 L3), though it did come in their last outing at Pride Park vs Norwich City in midweek (1-0).

• QPR have won six of their last nine away league games (D1 L2), as many as in their previous 25 on the road (D8 L11).

• Derby's Patrick Agyemang has been involved in four of their last five league goals (1 goal, 3 assists); since the start of September only Ryan Giles (5) has more Championship assists.

Derby County boss John Eustace says it was great to get off the mark at home and his side is looking forward to playing in front of their own fans again on Saturday.

The Rams recorded their first points of the season at Pride Park on Tuesday as they beat struggling Norwich 1-0.

The victory saw Derby rise to 19th in the Championship as they prepare to host Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (15:00 BST).

"We haven't won as many games at home as we want. We've come close on a couple of occasions but the most important thing on Saturday is that we follow-up on Tuesday's result and be very competitive," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.

"As long as we're competitive in every game we play then we always give ourselves a chance."

Tuesday's victory also saw the return of defender Sondre Langas who played the second 45 minutes.

"He's a leader and a character, it's great to have him back.

"It's important we don't ask too much of him, we don't want him to break down, we want to protect him."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

At Oxford on Saturday, and for the first half against Norwich at Pride Park on Tuesday, Derby were nowhere near good enough.

What looked to be the biggest problem for the Rams on both occasions was their formation and set-up - starting with a 4-2-3-1 approach, which actually seemed to be executed as more of a 4-2-4.

The Rams looked a man light in midfield and also isolated their wide players with Ben Brereton Diaz and Rhian Brewster left struggling to make an impact on the game.

Repeating the approach from Saturday's disappointing defeat by Oxford made Pride Park a cauldron of hostility in the first half with fans rightfully venting their frustrations at their side struggling to retain possession and lacking in creative ideas when they did get on the ball.

It was clear something needed to change at half-time to ensure the Rams didn't end up with deja vu from the weekend. The hope in the stands was to bring in Norwegian defender Sondre Langas in place of one of the two wide players and switch to a 3-5-2 formation.

Langas has been out of action for Derby since the end of last season, after recovering from surgery on a torn meniscus that he played through at the back end of the last campaign, during the Rams' fight for survival.

His defensive capabilities, quality on the ball, leadership qualities and resilient mentality are all traits Derby have missed so far this season. Having one of the best players at the club back in the squad has been a huge boost.

Head coach John Eustace had clearly heard the fans' calls to action at the interval as he brought the Norwegian on for winger Brewster.

The earlier Pride Park cauldron of hostility quickly turned into a cauldron of hope.

Image source, Rex Features

All the frustrations and bored yawns of the first half were a distant memory as one substitution completely shifted the momentum of the game in Derby's favour.

Sharper patterns of play, creating chances through the use of the wingbacks and pressing and winning the ball higher up the pitch saw Derby inevitably go 1-0 up through a superb David Ozoh finish after some excellent perseverance from Patrick Agyemang.

The Rams continued their search for a second, while also standing strong defensively and riding out a couple of threats from the visitors. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom can once again be proud of his performance, after being Derby's best performer at the weekend.

In the end, a resilient effort to manage the game and maintain the one-goal lead was creditable and promising from Derby. It shows that with a slight shuffle to the set-up, we have the capabilities to play a more exciting brand of football, one that I must say the players also look much more comfortable and confident in executing.

In the game against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, I would be disappointed and entirely shocked if Eustace didn't start with a back five after the positive difference it made on Tuesday. I'd also expect to see almost all the same personnel that began the second half against Norwich, barring Ebou Adams who will now unfortunately miss out on the weekend through suspension.

It will be interesting to see, without a fit Lewis Travis or Liam Thompson to replace him, who will get the nod in that midfield role with Ozoh, and how taking Adams out of the line-up may affect the team.

However, if we play with the directness, intensity, desire and quality of Tuesday's second-half display, I can see us causing QPR a few problems at the weekend.

A game that now feels like it can be looked forward to rather than dreaded, after a much improved and promising 45 minutes of football.

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

Derby head coach John Eustace was delighted his players answered his call to bounce back from their defeat at Oxford by beating Norwich.

David Ozoh scored the only goal at Pride Park as Derby won at home for the first time in nine league games.

Eustace told BBC Radio Derby: "I'm very proud of the effort of the group. I thought in the second half they were excellent.

"We said we would probably have to suffer at times against a really good possession-based team and I thought in the first half we suffered a bit too much, so to come in at 0-0 at half-time was great.

"The tweaks we made, change of shape and personnel, were perfect. We then went out on the front foot and that was pleasing.

"I'm just pleased for the group after Saturday and that performance, but the fight we showed tonight was excellent."