Johnny Russell says Derby County’s self-belief has been a huge factor behind their recent run of form, revealing that the group are going into every single game carrying a feeling that they are going to win.
He does not say that in an arrogant or either a ‘cocky’ manner neither, but it’s an attitude that Derby’s players are going to need as they bid to maintain their incredible run of form that has taken them into the Sky Bet Championship’s automatic promotion positions.
The Rams extended their unbeaten run on the road to 10 matches in the league – a feat that has not been achieved since 1969 – with a comfortable 3-0 win over Birmingham City at the weekend.
Russell opened the scoring, before Matej Vydra and Andreas Weimann netted in the second half as Gary Rowett’s side left St Andrew’s with another ‘big’ three points.
“It’s another big one for us – following up that big win over Ipswich,” Derby’s Scotland international said when speaking to RamsTV after the game. “This can be a difficult place to come to, but we showed great resilience at times.
“We played some nice stuff too and we could have scored a few more goals.
“There’s always going to be spells where the game is difficult. We knew they were coming to come out firing. They did, but we held out and then managed to strike first, which is always a big thing.”
The focus this week now turns to Friday night’s televised clash with fellow promotion rivals Bristol City under the Pride Park Stadium floodlights.
The Robins lost their fifth consecutive fixture in all competitions at the weekend by falling to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Norwich City.
That said, Russell will not be taking Lee Johnson’s side lightly. Nothing changes. The Rams will be approaching another big game with the same belief and attitude that they have approached every single game this campaign.
“We started the season really sloppily, but we’ve turned that form around and we’re going into games on the road thinking we’re going to get a result,” Russell said.
“I don’t say that in a cocky way, we’ve just got that confidence now that we can go anywhere and get a result.
“That belief is carrying us through at the moment. Sure, we are riding our luck at times – Birmingham hit the post twice – but we’re going to need that.
“How many times have we been in this position at this period of the season? We won’t get carried away.
“We just want to keep on going and now we have got another big game on Friday against Bristol City and we have to get another result.”