3/1 To Win
Gary Rowett has urged Derby County to keep their patience when Nigel Clough brings his Burton Albion side to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday.
The Rams’ three game unbeaten run came to an end against Ipswich Town on Tuesday, with Callum Connolly’s sixth minute header followed by a night of resolute defending by Mick McCarthy’s side that Derby just couldn’t break down.
Rowett is expecting a similar test at the weekend, with the Brewers only having lost one of their last six away games in the Sky Bet Championship.
He told RamsTV: “Burton will come here and make it very difficult for us, they’ve done well away from home this season, people forget that.
“They’ll be scrapping for their lives, so we’ll respect that, it’s a sign of respect to our team and the ability that we’ve got, that they want to limit our space and we have to find a different and better way to break teams down.
“You have to be patient, sometimes you have to pass backwards, that’s just the way when you’re trying to look for openings.
“We’ve just got to make sure that we hold our nerve regardless of the scoreline, we need to make the right decisions as the game goes on.”
The Tractor Boys weren’t the first side to come to Pride Park with a defensive mindset, and Rowett explained why Derby can have no complaints if the trend continues.
He said: “They sat in, they tried to get through to half-time at 1-0, because if they did then it means that they’ve got a chance to hang on.
“We did the same to Middlesbrough, we had to defend for 25 minutes but we hit them on the counter-attack and the game changed, so we can’t complain if someone then does that to us.”
Saturday’s game will see Clough return to the ground where he was in the home dugout from 2009 until 2013.
Rowett praised the Brewers’ boss for his influence on his managerial career, but he admitted that he wants to make it a difficult afternoon for the manager that he played under for two years at the Pirelli Stadium.
He added: “The great thing with Nige is that he’s a very honest guy, very loyal as well, people don’t realise it but certainly when I’ve needed a bit of help, he’s always tried to help out.
“It’s people like him that you end up having a lot of time for, I’m sure he’ll get a good welcome back, but hopefully it won’t be too good of an afternoon for him.”
