Head Coach Paul Warne has challenged his Derby County squad to hit the ground running after the international break as they begin a busy schedule with a trip to Preston North End on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
The Rams will spring back into action when they take on Preston at Deepdale in the Sky Bet Championship and look forward to a hectic fixture programme with six games in the next four weeks before the festive period.
Derby enter the match after earning four points from the last two matches in the league - a 2-1 away win against Coventry City and a 1-1 draw against Plymouth Argyle before the two-weel break.
Warne spoke to RamsTV before training on Thursday to preview the weekend’s clash with the Lilywhites.
On feeling refreshed and ready a busy fixture schedule in the run-up to the festive period…
We’re buzzing to go to be fair, it's an exciting time. We are really looking forward to the games, it's an exciting time. We're back with three games in nine days, so I am glad we're in good fettle.
I went back to Norfolk for the international break. I like the lads that do 'City Breaks'. I know Nat Phillips went to Copenhagen, Liam Thompson went to Euro Disney and Josh Vickers went to Rome - so he wins my prize for best holiday!
On Curtis Nelson signing a contract extension over the international break…
Curtis has played virtually every minute since we signed him and he has been excellent. He is a real gladiator of a defender, he’s aggressive in both boxes. Off the pitch he is brilliant too, a really good human and great leader. I think he deserved to be rewarded.
He deserves his contract. It's not a charity, if he wasn't performing then I wouldn't give it out but he's performed well on a regular basis and been fit for selection. They're the players that you want to go forward.
On facing Preston North End on Saturday…
Preston are another team that are better than their position in the league table suggests. You could say that about every Championship team, apart from probably the top two. They are a really well-managed team I know their previous manager really well. I was with Ryan Lowe yesterday - and he put together a really good squad that are always perforating around the play-offs.
Despite not having the best start to the season, they are in good hands with Paul Heckingbottom in charge. I’ve played against Hecky's teams, and I know how hard they work. It wouldn't surprise me if they put on three or four wins on the spin soon and climbed the table, because that is how the Championship is. As with every game, we will have to be at our very best to get a result.