Centre-back Eiran Cashin says he was honoured to lead Derby County as captain from the off against Sunderland on Tuesday night after rising through the club's ranks.
Derby fell to a 2-0 defeat on the road as the Black Cats went top of the Sky Bet Championship table despite a battling display from Paul Warne’s side, but they will be hoping to bounce back quickly when they return to Pride Park Stadium to play Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Cashin was given the responsibility of leading the team out of the tunnel as he made his 130th appearance for the club.
The Academy graduate broke into the first team towards the end of the 2021/22 season and hasn’t looked back since, forming a formidable partnership with Curtis Nelson that helped Derby to keep 22 clean sheets on the way to promotion from Sky Bet League One last season.
Cashin spoke with RamsTV ahead of Saturday's fixture to discuss wearing the captain’s armband, his evolving role in the squad and the importance of getting a result on home turf before the international break.
On taking the captain’s armband against Sunderland…
It was an honour. Many years ago, when I was a scholar living in digs, my 'digs parents' would just say: 'We reckon you'll captain Derby one day'. I didn't even see myself playing for the first team at the time, never mind being the captain. It was an unreal honour and a proud moment for me and my family.
There are other lads in the group deserving of it, with a bit more experience, like Curtis Nelson. He said that he doesn't feel like he needs the armband to be a leader on the pitch and he thought it would be good for me, too.
When the gaffer said that I was the captain, I was not going to turn it down! Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is a great captain for us. It's something that in the future I definitely want to step into. I just tried to make the most of it.
On being a young leader in the dressing room…
I think age is something, but it's not everything. I always try and voice my opinion during the game, after the final whistle and also at half-time. I don't shy away from that. We've got a good set of lads, so there's not much leadership needed in the some ways because everyone's on the same page. For me I’m just trying to get as much experience from the lads as possible. I'm just trying to learn from them all and get better.
On playing QPR again, after facing relegation the last time the teams met…
To be back in the Championship, alongside the fans and alongside everyone who's been involved with the club and associated with it, has been a massive honour. From when we went down to now, the fans have been right behind us.
It was a really sad day when we were relegated (at Loftus Road), but it was quite a nice day because we were so together. Getting relegated and seeing all the fans singing after showing up for the whole game and afterwards was quite touching. To be back out there on Saturday and in the Championship, hopefully, we will get the same support and hopefully, it'll be a better scenario this time.
On wanting a result ahead of the international break…
In the last few matches, we haven't won but we've played some tough teams and we've shown many positives. We just haven't quite put it together to get the three points. We're back at home, which is always nice. We've done our work on QPR. We definitely fancy ourselves to go and get three points, whoever we come up against. It's very much needed.