Forward was understandably a happy man after netting the winner against the Seagulls.
Striker Patrick Bamford was gleaming with pride following the side’s 1-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion and admits it is a home debut he will not forget in a hurry.The on-loan Chelsea forward curled home the only goal of the game in the 76th minute, in what was his first appearance for the Rams at the iPro Stadium.
The winner against the Seagulls was the England Under-21 international’s 18th goal of the campaign, after scoring 17 on loan at MK Dons earlier in the season, and the 20-year-old says scoring in front of the home supporters was a fitting way to introduce himself to the Rams’ faithful.
He told Rams Player:“It was nice to grab the winner. I said to myself this morning when I woke up that I felt I was going to score, and in the end I did and I am delighted.
“Me and [Jamie] Ward combined well on the edge of the box; he got the ball back and got fouled I think. The ball just broke kindly for me and I curled it into the corner.
“It is always nice to get your first goal for club and it is even better because it is my first home appearance; it is good to get off on the right foot.
“Although I have scored a few goals this season, it is still nice to get that first one out of the way for Derby.
“I was a little bit nervous in my first two training sessions, but the lads have made it easy for me to settle in, and this week, I have been doing well and my finishing has been good.”
It was a hard fought encounter at the iPro Stadium, with Bamford’s strike proving decisive in a match of fine margins, and the on loan Blues striker says the side were happy to grind out a win.
He added: “All the boys owe a lot to the back-five really, because they put their bodies on the line at the end.
"Some of the saves [Lee] Grant made were fantastic; there was one in the first-half from the corner and then in the second-half from [Leonardo] Ulloa.
"We had to press from the front a lot and not let their centre-backs come out with the ball, and in the end it just took that one goal to win it.
"I think the win has created a bit more of a gap between us and seventh, and we are only five points off of second now, so hopefully we can push on and try and get in the top two."
Watch the full interview with Patrick Bamford on Rams Player.