Head Coach John Eustace lauded the togetherness and desire to fight for every point in his Derby County team as they look ahead to facing Burnley on Tuesday night.
The Rams went on a four-game winning run under the tutelage of Eustace, with victories secured against Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle before the March international break, a a 2-0 home success over Preston North End last week.
The run came to an end with a 1-0 defeat to Swansea City in South Wales on Saturday, but another quick turnaround sees Derby with a chance to get points on the board against title contenders Burnley at Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday night in their quest to retain their Sky Bet Championship status (7:45pm kick-off).
Eustace caught up with RamsTV ahead of another vital match under the Pride Park lights.
On the Rams’ 1-0 loss against Swansea…
We were just very frustrated that we didn't get something out of the game. I thought the lads performed very well, were really hard to play against and limited Swansea to next to no chances. The goal that we conceded was a really poor goal. It's something that we spoke about today, and we're all in agreement that that's not us. It's time to get back to doing basics right again.
I think the lads know that every detail matters. You can see in the performances they've been putting in; they've been magnificent. Let's hope it's just a little blip and can be a little reset moment where we understand that every moment does matter in these games. There's no better game to do that than against a top team in Burnley to try and put things right.
On organisation and structure on the field…
You can see the organisation is there. You can see the desire is there from the group. We had a problem with the team beforehand, with Callum Elder having to pull out early. The way we adjusted to that, with the players coming in again, was magnificent. That real togetherness is there. The 2,000 fans who travelled were right behind the boys as well, which was really pleasing. We said afterwards it was disappointing not to give them something more to cheer about, but it's great that we're all together and we're fighting for every point available.
On the togetherness of the squad both on and off the field…
We have spoken about the players who aren't available. We've had a lot of injuries since I've come in, but I've spoken to the group and said how important those players are, not just on the pitch but off the pitch now as well. Everyone has a huge part to play in what we're doing at the moment.
On being ready for the ups and downs of the division at the business end of the season…
The Championship is relentless, and that's why it's very important to remember that you can easily go two or three games without a win and two or three games winning. It's important you don't get too high or too low with the defeats. We just keep level-headed, we keep working hard and see where it takes us at the end of the season. You've just got to keep believing in what you're doing. We stick together through thick and thin. There are six huge matches coming up, and the next challenge is Burnley on Tuesday night. It's going to take one huge effort for all of us to make sure we get enough points from now to the end of the season.