Derby County

Before Saturday's reunion with his former club Blackburn, John Eustace says Derby want to continue the progress they have made this season.

The Rams went down 4-2 at Hull on Tuesday to suffer back-to-back Championship defeats for the first time since the start of December and are now 11th, six points behind Wrexham in the final play-off spot with 12 games remaining.

The first of those is against Rovers at Pride Park on Saturday (12:30 GMT), a fixture in which Eustace claimed his first victory as Rams boss a year ago to lift Derby off the bottom of the table and spark an impressive climb to safety.

Eustace told BBC Radio Derby: "We'd lost our first three games, it was always going to be a big game, to get that result was great and really kick-started our season to keep us in the league - it was a huge game.

"We've got a number of ex-players who used to play for the club [Blackburn], it's a fantastic club and I'm sure it will be a great game."

He added: "This season was all about progressing, a lot of players coming out and new players coming in, lots going on behind the scenes at the training ground. Up until now we have certainly progressed the club and we want to keep going."

Derby have conceded in 26 of their 34 league games and Eustace says it is something they need to work on.

"We have to defend a lot better," he said. "The main thing we were after (at Hull) was a reaction after Saturday's performance (at Watford) and we certainly got that, the game could have gone either way.

"There were lots of positives to take from it but we have to keep learning from a couple of the negatives.

"We have to start keeping some clean sheets, we haven't had enough clean sheets throughout the season, if you don't do the basics well enough you're not going to.

"We all know we can still do better from a defensive point of view."

Blackburn Rovers will aim to further the gap between themselves and the bottom three as they head to Derby County on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Rovers will not have to worry about re-entering the relegation zone this weekend with a four point lead on 22nd place Leicester City, however a second consecutive loss could see them back in the mix.

While Derby will be hoping to get back into the play-off race, with two successive losses sending them six points adrift of sixth placed Wrexham.

• Derby are looking to complete their first league double over Blackburn since 2014-15, while they're looking to win three in a row against Rovers for the first time since December 2001.

• Blackburn have lost their last two league games against Derby, more than they had in their previous 11 against the Rams (W9 D1 L1).

• Derby have scored at least once in each of their last 14 home league games, though they've gone on to win just five of these (D5 L4).

• Blackburn won 3-1 at QPR in their last away league game, ending a seven game winless run on the road (D3 L4).

• Since joining the club in January, Mathias Jorgensen has scored three of Blackburn's four away goals in the Championship.

Ed Dawes
BBC Radio Derby commentator

Image source, Shutterstock

Earlier this season, I wrote about the increasing physicality of Championship football and how it has stepped up several levels since Derby County were relegated to League One in 2023.

At the time, striker Carlton Morris was regularly on the receiving end of grappling, holding and, at times, outright wrestling. Morris said he "enjoys the battle, as long as it is not someone who goes down too easily".

With Morris sidelined for 16 matches after being injured in an off-the-ball challenge by a Watford defender, he is now easing his way back through a phased return to the first team, while American striker Patrick Agyemang has been dealing with the full force of opposition defences.

Grappling, blocking and wrestling - Agyemang has been learning the "new" Championship the hard way.

Back in October, having overcome a hernia operation and still finding his feet, he said: "I realise it's going to be like that every game, so I have to be up for it. The things I would think are a foul are not here."

Now, as we approach March, Championship football at times feels closer to what you might see at Twickenham than on a football pitch - and I do wonder how far this will be allowed to go.

Recently, Agyemang has been subjected to constant fouling, holding, and defenders doubling up to effectively sandwich him out of the game.

He is not built in the same way as Morris, who clearly relishes the physical contest. Instead, Agyemang cuts a figure of growing frustration - and temper.

At Hull City, less than two minutes had been played when experienced defender John Egan used the dark arts to get into the American's head.

Two quick coming-togethers followed, both deemed Agyemang's fault by referee Adam Herczeg, and he was booked inside 90 seconds. The initial fouls went unseen; the reaction told the story.

Derby head coach John Eustace has made repeated calls for officials to offer greater protection, saying: "Defenders are fouling him all the time, and we think he needs protecting more than most".

This simply does not happen in the Premier League. In the Championship, however, the first instinct of a defender at a set-piece is often to wrap their arms around an opponent to restrict movement.

Back in the 2016-17 season, the Premier League introduced a strict directive to crack down on holding, pushing and blocking at set-pieces.

Referee Mike Dean famously awarded two penalties in a game between Stoke City and Manchester City in August 2016.

Stoke's Ryan Shawcross grappled and pulled the shirt of Nicolas Otamendi and then City's Raheem Sterling blocked Shawcross off at a set-piece. Letter of the law, both penalties.

This is not about removing physicality from the game, it is about enforcing the laws that already exist.

Holding, grappling and blocking are fouls, whether they happen in the Premier League or the Championship.

As a Level 7 referee, officiating both junior and adult football, I know officials cannot see everything.

But when this behaviour becomes consistent, predictable and targeted, it stops being part of the contest and starts becoming something that demands intervention.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

After a long-awaited home win against Swansea City was followed up by a display that fell well below Derby's standards at Watford, the Rams travelled to Hull looking to bounce back and close the gap on the play-off places.

Before the game began there were a few eyebrows raised at the backline selected by John Eustace, with the head coach opting for three natural left-backs out of his four starting defenders.

Joe Ward, who has put in some impressive performances at right-back this season, and right-footed centre-back Dion Sanderson were both among the substitutes, leaving questions as to why neither of them were selected to start the game.

This decision would prove costly as Derby looked uncomfortable at the back from the off, with Hull's first two goals coming from two sloppy moments in defence.

Despite this, the Rams were starting to see that they were not the only team who possess defensive frailties, and equalised twice to bring the score level by half-time.

In the second half it was a case of who could be better in both boxes, and ultimately more clinical in front of goal. That team somehow managed to be Hull.

Despite ending the game with an expected goals of 3.27, the Rams were undone by a side who only registered 0.58 in xG.

Of course, stats do not win football matches, but on the balance of chances created, shots on target, and touches inside the opposition's box, Derby were significantly superior throughout.

With perhaps the most telling number from the match being Hull only registering three shots on target across the 90 minutes, despite scoring four goals.

The turning point, in my opinion, came in the 69th minute.

With the scores level at 2-2, Red Bull Salzburg loanee Bobby Clark, had a golden opportunity to fire the Rams into the lead. That chance was missed, and just six minutes later, Hull went 3-2 up instead.

How many times do we see that in football? One team being left to rue missed chances, with the other stealing the lead out of very little.

The overriding feeling from the whole performance was that Derby did not play badly, and Hull were not particularly excellent either.

A few individual errors in Derby's backline, paired with the Rams not being clinical enough in front of goal, left the scoreline flattering Hull.

It did feel as though changes could've been made by Derby quicker as John Eustace only decided to call upon Rhian Brewster and Carlton Morris after Hull went ahead.

For me, this was too little too late, and had the changes been made 10-15 minutes sooner, I think Derby could've nudged ahead whilst momentum was in their favour.

Looking ahead to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, it's pretty simple really - Derby must be more clinical.

That could be achieved by reintroducing joint top scorer Morris to the starting line-up, and pushing Patrick Agyemang back into a wide role, where I personally believe he looks most comfortable and confident.

The positive thing for Derby is that we now have a plethora of attacking options, of a significantly higher calibre than what we have had in previous seasons.

With the reassurance of that strength in depth, I believe the Rams' current struggles with converting chances to goals won't become a long-term problem, and I fully expect to see Derby put their back-to-back defeats behind them on Saturday.

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

Derby County manager John Eustace said his team rediscovered their "effort and desire" despite defeat to play-off rivals Hull.

He told BBC Radio Derby after their 4-2 defeat at MK Stadium: "I am disappointed we lost the game. The effort was fantastic tonight, we created some unbelievable chances, and on another night we could have scored five or six.

"Last week at Watford we lacked that effort and desire, and tonight we had it all over the pitch.

"We didn't defend the box well enough, all four goals could have been stopped, for sure. But there's a lot of positives to take from tonight.

"We had to make a lot of changes tonight, the back four was playing out of position, but we are where we are with our injury situations."

John Eustace says Derby's players know they need to keep improving as the Rams prepare for a "difficult test" at high-flying Hull City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

The Rams suffered a second defeat in three Championship games and failed to score for the first time in 23 league games as they went down 2-0 at Watford on Saturday to fall to ninth, three points outside the play-off places.

Eustace told BBC Radio Derby: "We were really disappointed with the all-round performance on Saturday.

"The players and staff have had really positive meetings over the last couple of days. We all spoke our minds and everyone is very positive coming away from it and how we have to keep improving.

"When you're 33 games in, the group are very connected, the spirit is very good.

"[Hull is] another opportunity to get three points but there are a still a lot of games to go after that.

"What a great opportunity to go to one of the top teams in the league and try and get a result."

The Tigers are six points ahead in fifth, with a game in hand, but have lost their past two games, having drawn the one before that, all at home.

"Hull have been on a fantastic run, they have got a really highly-respected, experienced manager at the helm, an excellent squad. They have recruited very well, they are in the position probably where they should be and it will be a difficult game," Eustace said.

Eustace added it was too early for Carlton Morris to start after his return from injury and that Patrick Agyemang will learn from a difficult afternoon at Vicarage Road, saying: "You can see the progression, he's come on leaps and bounds since the start of the season and he's only going to get better. It's my job to keep developing him and get him to where he wants to be."

Derby County will seek to regain their place in the top six when they make the trip to fifth placed Hull City on Tuesday (19:45 GMT)

A 2-0 loss to Watford on the weekend meant the Rams were ousted to eighth but are still just three points away from their former haunt of sixth, now occupied by Wrexham.

However, while the Tigers might have a five point cushion in the play-off spots, no wins in their past three games (D1 L2) will have them hungry to try and stop the rot before they come into striking distance of those below.

• Hull are winless in their last six league games against Derby (D1 L5) since a 2-0 home win in October 2019.

• Derby have won each of their last two away league games against Hull both via 1-0 scorelines and will be looking to claim three away victories in succession in this fixture for the first time.

• Derby have won each of their last three away league games against Yorkshire sides, having lost nine consecutive visits to the county before this.

• Derby are unbeaten in their last 11 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W7 D4), conceding just five goals in that run since a 1-0 loss against Sunderland in January 2025.

• Derby manager John Eustace has won all three of his away league games against Hull City, with his sides keeping a clean sheet each time.

Derby County head coach John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby following their 2-0 Championship defeat at Watford.

Luca Kjerrumgaard pounced on a low cross to fire past Josh Vickers to give the Hornets the lead after five minutes.

Derby then, pushing for an equaliser, were caught on the break in the 90th minute, with Mamadou Doumbia sliding home the hosts' second following a Rams corner.

"Very disappointed," Eustace said.

"There's not many games this season where I've felt the opposition have wanted it a bit more than us, and today they certainly wanted it more than us, which isn't what we're all about.

"I think that's why it's important in the Championship, there's always opportunities or moments that kick you and reset you.

"Obviously going into the top six last week, we're playing against teams now who want to get into that top six week in, week out, and we're playing against teams who want to stay in this league as well.

"If we're not at the levels required to compete, then we're going to get hurt like we did today."

Ed Still takes charge of his first home game since being appointed Watford head coach last week.

The Hornets are three points behind their sixth-placed opponents but a win by five or more goals, however unlikely, would see them jump from 12th position and overtake Derby.

• Watford have won their past five league games against Derby – they last won as many as six in a row against an opponent in league competition in August 2008 (6 v Ipswich).

• Derby have lost their past two away league games against Watford (1-2 in February 2021 and August 2024), while they have never lost three in a row away to them.

• Watford are winless across their past seven games in the Championship (D4 L3), their worst run without a win outside the Premier League since a 10-game span between October and December 2013.

• Derby County have won each of their past three away league games, last winning more in a row in January 2024 (5 wins). Meanwhile, Derby's last away league win at Watford was back in November 2014 under Steve McClaren (2-1).

• Derby have scored 13 headed goals in the Championship this season, the joint-most in the league this season alongside Coventry City. Indeed, six of those 13 came from Patrick Agyemang – he is a league leader in that category.

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Sam Fletcher
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As John Eustace celebrates one year at the helm, Derby fans will perhaps be both pleased and surprised to see the drastic turnaround he's achieved.

When Eustace arrived at Pride Park this time last year Derby had amassed just 29 points and had a relegation battle on their hands. Today, following Saturday's win against fellow play-off chasers Swansea, they are in sixth place.

They've also now scored in every one of their last 22 league games, the longest streak of any team in the top four divisions in England.

After a lacklustre first half against Swansea, it was a different story after the break and you could start to see where their success has come from.

They leave no crumbs when it comes to set-pieces and have so many attacking options who are in good form.

With Sam Szmodics now in the fold and top scorer Carlton Morris playing his first few minutes after injury, it might become difficult to choose who to have in attack in the starting 11.

Image source, Getty Images

Derby County head coach John Eustace watched his side move into the play-off spots, and was happy to overcome some indifferent home form.

The 2-0 win over Swansea City was just a fifth home win from 17 league games this season - comfortably the worst record of any of the sides in the top half of the table.

But goals from Rhian Brewster and Patrick Agyemang ensured the Rams climbed above four sides not in action, to end the day in sixth.

"First half the gaps between front and back were too big, which was disappointing," said Eustace.

"Every time we won the ball back, we lost a duel or were a little slower in possession, which gave them the emphasis of the game.

"But they didn't really cause us any issues. Second half we changed one or two things and our shape was much more connected.

"We spoke about how we'd look to beat them on set-pieces and today was very much a set-piece game.

"We haven't won at home consistently enough this year and the main thing was to make sure we won the game."

Image source, EFL

Championship leaders Middlesbrough are celebrating winning both the manager and player of the month awards for January.

Boss Kim Hellberg led Boro to five wins from their six league games last month, with them scoring 14 goals as they chased down the leaders Coventry City before overtaking them at the top of the table last weekend.

Midfielder Alan Browne won the player award, having also filled in at wing-back and scored three goals.

Philippe Clement of Norwich, Wrexham's Phil Parkinson and Derby head coach John Eustace were also nominated for the manager accolade.

Wrexham striker Sam Smith and defenders Charlie Hughes (Hull City) and Caleb Taylor (Millwall) missed out of the player award.

Middlesbrough visit second-placed Coventry in the Championship on Monday night (20:00 GMT).

Image source, Getty Images

The nominees for January's Championship Manager of the Month award have been announced.

Philippe Clement guided Norwich to four wins from six games last month to pull clear of the relegation zone, winning on the road at QPR, Wrexham and West Brom and toppling then-leaders Coventry at Carrow Road.

John Eustace also picked up 12 points with Derby, starting the year with a home win over Middlesbrough and collecting three away wins, culminating in a 5-0 thumping of Bristol City.

Kim Hellberg's Middlesbrough earned five wins from their six fixtures, scoring 14 goals, with 4-0 home wins over Preston and Southampton and a 1-0 success against in-form Norwich to round off the month.

Phil Parkinson led Wrexham to 13 points from their six games to move into the play-off places, their four wins included a 2-1 success at Derby and a dramatic 3-2 victory at QPR.

The winner will be announced on Friday.

Andrew Aloia
BBC Sport, East Midlands at Moor Farm

Image source, Getty Images

Derby County's leading scorer Carlton Morris could return after almost three months out injured to face Swansea City in the Championship on Saturday.

The 30-year-old had netted 10 league goals and scored in four consecutive games before sustaining an ankle injury in November's defeat by Watford.

Derby boss John Eustace confirmed that former Luton Town, Norwich City and Barnsley forward Morris could "possibly" feature in the matchday squad again this weekend after a 16-game absence.

"He has trained three times with the group now, but it is really important that we don't push him too much because we don't want to lose him again," he told BBC Radio Derby.

"Let's see how he is tomorrow [Friday] to see if he is involved on Saturday. And if he's not, then I'm sure it won't be long until he is back in the squad in the games coming up."

Morris' possible return could coincide with the much-anticipated debut for loanee forward Sam Szmodics, who was unable to feature immediately after arrival as the Rams faced parent club Ipswich Town last week.

"He will be in the squad, so we will see. I want to give him some minutes, of course I do, but the lads have been terrific so let's just wait and see on that," Eustace said.

Szmodics is a player Eustace knows well, with the forward finishing as the Championship's top scorer in 2023-24 while playing under the now Rams boss at Blackburn..

When asked about Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna's comments about Szmodics' loan departure "not being about football reasons", Eustace defended the player as "a terrific lad and top professional".

"He is a team player, who wants to learn and help others around him. That's my experience of working with Sam," he added.

Derby County seek a place in the top six when they host Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Rams are just two points short of sixth place and only Preston North End have the power to deny them a spot in the play-off positions should they take all three points.

But the Swans are enjoying a much better portion of their season than they did at the start and will be aiming for a fourth win in five league games.

• Following their 2-1 win in November, Derby are looking to complete the league double over Swansea for the first time since 1985-86 in the third tier.

• Swansea have won just two of their last 11 away league games against Derby (D4 L5), though did win this exact fixture 2-1 last season.

• Derby County have scored in each of their last 21 league games, the longest ongoing streak of any side currently in England's top four tiers.

• Until the end of November, Swansea had won just four of their 18 Championship games this season, with only Sheffield Wednesday (1) and Norwich (3) winning fewer. They've since won eight of their last 13, with only Middlesbrough (9) winning more since the start of December.

• Derby's Rhian Brewster has scored in his last two league appearances – he's never scored in three in a row in English league football.

Grace Ballinger
BBC Sport East Midlands

Forward Rhian Brewster says Derby County need "better quality in the final third" after missed chances cost them against fellow promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.

Brewster, 25, scored the Rams' only goal in their 2-1 defeat by Ipswich at Pride Park on Saturday.

Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, Brewster said he thought "for the majority of the game" the Rams were "the better team".

"We stuck to the game plan and conceded early on to a set-piece," he added.

"I thought the boys responded very well. We kept pushing, kept going and equalised, and then conceded against the run of play."

Brewster said he is not immune to criticism and took responsibility for missing opportunities which have been costing his side.

"I think the quality in the final third just needs to be better from me and from everybody," he said.

"We will try to put it right on the training pitch and try to put it right next week."

Derby are currently are ninth in the Championship table, and Brewster made it clear that a top-six finish is what the Rams want.

"Our aim for the next 15 games is to win as many as possible and get into the play-offs," he said.

Amelia Warren
Fan writer

After the 5-0 thrashing of Bristol City on the road, Derby were looking to spark some life back into their home form at the weekend.

The Rams have only won four out of 16 matches at home so far this campaign, with just 40% of their current total points tally coming from results at Pride Park.

After a game that ebbed and flowed in momentum for both sides, Derby ultimately fell to defeat for a sixth time at home this season.

The main difference, for me, was Ipswich seeming to have just that little bit more in every sense. More quality on the ball, more energy, and better strength in depth on the day, proven by the quality of their substitutes bench.

Derby were limited to only having one shot on target throughout the whole 90 minutes, and that came from Rhian Brewster's penalty.

Despite carving out half-chances, and 'glimmer of hope' moments in the final third throughout the game, Derby never quite had that cutting edge to trouble Christian Walton in the Ipswich net, with the Rams only registering a pretty lacklustre 0.08 expected goals from open play all afternoon.

Despite the loss, and lack of clear-cut chances created, the performance that Derby produced was actually far from disappointing.

You felt as though the Rams were constantly having a go at Ipswich, and trying to get on the front foot as much as possible, which they have been guilty of not doing often enough at home this season.

When the likes of David Ozoh, Bobby Clark and Lewis Travis were on the ball in midfield areas, they were constantly looking for the killer pass forwards, or trying to take Ipswich defenders on to open up space for shots and opportunities.

Similarly, in wide areas, we saw Ben Brereton Diaz, Joe Ward and debutant Derry John Murkin trying to put dangerous balls into the box.

Image source, Getty Images

Although the execution was not always perfect, it made for a much more entertaining watch than sitting back for 90 minutes, and seeing much less of the ball than our opponents.

You could not fault the passion, desire and fight of every player in a Derby shirt, and as a fan I feel as though that is the main non-negotiable despite the calibre of opposition, or whether the result is going in our favour or not.

I would not be surprised to see Ipswich finish in the automatic promotion spots come May, and to say Derby have only been narrowly defeated 4-3 by them over two matches I think is pretty respectable, and encouraging, as a supporter.

Particularly when you also consider Ipswich's estimated wage bill to be just under double that of Derby's.

This Saturday's fixture against Swansea City, I feel, is much more of a "must-win" game, compared to the battle with Ipswich.

If the Rams seriously want to be considered as part of the play-off picture, they need to pick up a good run of home form pretty quickly, and what better way to start that than against a team who sit just 19th in the away form table.

It sounds bizarre to say it after losing a game, but if we replicate the level of performance that we put in against Ipswich, and are able to be more clinical in the final third, I believe we will have more than enough to overcome the Swans.

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