Derby County’s Chris Martin was pleased to progress through to the Fourth Round of the Emirates FA Cup following the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday - and believes the Rams can use the victory as a springboard.
The striker scored the only goal of the game just after the half-hour mark after he met a cross into the box by full-back Jayden Bogle and guided the ball past Wayne Hennessey to secure the Rams’ passage through to the next round.
The win was the Rams’ third in as many games and the first away from home since the Carabao Cup First Round victory against Scunthorpe United in August.
Martin believes Derby can use the result against the Premier League outfit as a positive going into the upcoming league fixtures, starting with Middlesbrough on Saturday 11th January (3pm kick-off) as they return to Sky Bet Championship action.
“The atmosphere in the dressing room is really good,” Martin admitted, speaking to RamsTV following the cup clash at Crystal Palace.
“It’s a lot different to the ones a couple of games ago and that just shows how things can change very quickly.
“We need to ride this momentum for as long as we can because it can be a massive thing, especially in the Championship. You see teams go on runs and climb the table quickly so we are hoping that we can be one of those.”
The Rams head to the Riverside Stadoum with a spring in their step after recent victories against Charlton Athletic, Barnsley and now Crystal Palace.
Martin, who now has five goals this season following his matchwinner against the Eagles, thinks it’s a big period coming up for the Rams.
“It’s a big game,” he said. “We have got some good form at the moment and we are looking to press home that confidence going into that game.
“Their form has lifted recently so it will be a tough game. It always is, especially up there, but we are looking forward to it, especially with three wins on the spin.
“The mood has lifted a lot over the last week or so. Wayne Rooney’s arrival has been massive also - that’s a couple of wins with him here now = so we hoping to use his experience and quality to keep moving up the table.”