It was a memorable night for Derby County after Gary Rowett’s side deservedly cruised to a 5-0 victory over Hull City and for one man in particular, he was beaming with pride following the result.
Since the beginning of the season, Matej Vydra has been a near mainstay in Rowett’s side and he is now repaying the manager for his belief, with goals.
On Friday night at Pride Park, the Czech Republic international netted the first two of Derby’s five goals against the Tigers to send the Rams well on their way to a return to winning ways.
A fine night for sure for the Rams, but on a personal level, Vydra believes it was his finest display for the club since he joined from Watford in August 2016.
It was a performance to be proud of and following the final whistle, Vydra told RamsTV: “I am so happy for our fans and also for our players.
“We worked hard during the international break and I think that winning 5-0 was a good response.
“It was my best game for Derby individually and also in terms of the team performance.
“I think we should enjoy this night and hope the fans will too.”
What’s the secret behind his rejuvenated form?
The simple answer is confidence and Vydra feels that he has that in abundance at the moment thanks to the faith and belief shown to him by the manager.
“I like to play in the number 10 position,” the attacker added.
“I feel the best when I’m playing there and Gary said that if I relax when I’m playing there – the goals will come.
“That has proved to be true and I really am so happy right now.
“I am just trying my best to help my team mates.
“I had the chances to seal my hat trick but the most important thing is the three points and we’ve got that. Now, it is the same again against Barnsley in the cup on Tuesday night.
“I hope that in general, we can play like this and carry on but this division is very hard, as we know, and in every game, anything can happen.
“I think we should enjoy this night and hope the fans will too.”