Derby County boss John Eustace sends 'improvement' warning to Portsmouth ahead of crucial Championship clash

A visit to Derby County is next on the agenda for Pompey as John Mousinho’s men look to build on what could be a crucial home win against fellow Championship strugglers Blackburn Rovers.

There was more than a touch of relief when the full-time whistle was blown at Fratton Park on Saturday as goals from Callum Lang and Ibane Bowat helped Pompey recover from falling behind to a Yuki Ohashi goal to land their first win since a 3-1 home victory against Millwall four weeks ago.

Crucially, the win, coupled with Oxford United’s 2-1 home defeat against promotion-contenders Preston North End, means the Blues are back sitting outside of the Championship relegation zone as their focus now switches towards this weekend’s trip to Pride Park.

Their hosts are not out of trouble as they prepare to visit bottom of the table Sheffield Wednesday in a televised game on Monday night after claiming just one win in their last five games.

That has left Derby in the bottom half of the Championship table ,and although they are eight points clear of the bottom three, John Eustace’s men will hope to put together a much-improved run of form over the Christmas period to help avoid any threat of being dragged into the battle to avoid the drop.

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John Eustace: Derby players have been improving

Despite their recent underwhelming form, Eustace has insisted his side are improving and ‘getting fitter and stronger’ as a long and testing season continues. He’s also urged everyone connected with the Rams to stick together as they navigate a hectic festive period.

Speaking ahead of the visit to Hillsborough, the Rams boss told the club’s official website: ‘It's a group effort. The fans, the players, the staff, everyone's put in a huge effort to get to where we are at the moment. We need another huge effort from everyone to keep the good work up going into the second half of the season.

‘I think the players have been improving and the squad has been getting fitter and stronger throughout the season. We said we'd go through some difficult moments but there's going to be some really exciting moments throughout the year as well.

‘You've just got to keep working in the same way every day and keep believing. You're going to get a disappointing run of results and you're going to get a good run of results. The most important thing is that you stick together and keep believing in what we're doing. I think the boys are showing that.’

Committed

Tonight’s away day at Sheffield Wednesday will kickstart a run of six games in just 21 days for Derby that will include meetings with the likes of Birmingham City and Middlesbrough, as well as this weekend’s home meeting with Pompey.

Eustace refused to get too bogged down with talk of fixture congestion and insisted his players will just focus on what lies ahead.

He said: ‘It's all part and parcel of the job and the squad will be ready and prepared. There might be some more injuries, there might be some more suspensions, but what I will say is that the group will be committed and they'll be competitive in every game.

‘That's all I ask for from a really great set of players and staff. The way you get through difficult moments and through lots of games like that is by working together and sticking together. We have days on the grass, we have days in the classroom, and we will always prepare correctly.’

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