Derby County manager John Eustace has set his sights on the two upcoming home fixtures to reignite their bid for Championship survival.
The Rams suffered heartbreak on Saturday afternoon when they went down to a late Finn Azaz goal to lose 1-0 at Middlesbrough. It was a result which sent them to the bottom of the table and extended their winless run to 13 games in all competitions.
Eustace is still awaiting his first victory since replacing Paul Warne last month, although it was a much-improved performance at the Riverside Stadium. They have two crucial fixtures at Pride Park on the horizon, starting with the visit of Blackburn Rovers on Saturday before hosting Coventry City three days later.
Eustace Eyeing Home Advantage
Derby have won six and drawn three of their 17 home games this season and know how they perform on their own patch will be pivotal to their survival bid. Speaking after the defeat at Middlesbrough, Eustace revealed the mood in the dressing room is low but targeted a recovery in front of their own supporters:
“They lads are low, of course they are, they’re disappointed, but they still have to take a lot of positives from the game.
“The lads are all disappointed but what they showed from an attitude point of view is really pleasing and there’s still a lot of football to be played.
“I’ve only been here two weeks. We have to have a bit of realism. You can see the spirit and togetherness is there. It’s just the moments where we’ve let ourselves down with the quality and concentration.
“It’s just about keeping the level of concentration for the full 95 minutes. We have two home games coming up and we have to be really positive.”
Writer’s View
Eustace was clearly extremely disappointed to leave Teesside empty handed and they will feel that they deserved at least a point. To move to the bottom of the table will be a major cause for concern but they are only four points from safety. Although some of those above them are starting to pull away, the Rams will feel like they ball is back in their court if they can at least avoid defeat against both Blackburn and Coventry. However, both teams are challenging for a play-off place and it will be a difficult pair of fixtures.
