Davies: “We Need To Make Sure We Are On It”

Central defender Curtis Davies believes Derby County will have to be at their best on Saturday when they entertain Queens Park Rangers at Pride Park Stadium (3pm kick-off).

It’s been a contrasting couple of weeks for the Rams as they have struggled on the road but on home turf, they have been unstoppable.

Wins over Birmingham City, Luton Town, Wigan Athletic, Middlesbrough and Preston North End have ensured the Rams have picked up valuable points - 15 in a row - at Pride Park.

That has instilled confidence into the players and the fans, and despite the frustrating away form, Davies believes the squad are full of confidence ahead of this weekend's game.

“Home games are always really important,” he told RamsTV. “You are more likely to win your home games rather than the away games.

“Unfortunately for us, we are doing really well at home and winning all of our recent games and keeping clean sheets. But when we go on the road, we can’t replicate that form.

“It is very frustrating because when you get that momentum and you want to get that bounce from a home win to take to an away game and give a solid performance, it’s quite heart breaking sometimes.

“You see the table and where you could be and then it ends up that actually other people are overtaking you.

“We need to work really hard at it and keep working hard on the training field, but we are coming to a home game now and we want to keep that home form going.”

Queens Park Rangers, who are managed by Mark Warburton, started the season well but have suffered a dip in form recently which have seen them fall into the bottom half of the Sky Bet Championship table.

They are without a win in six games and come into the game off the back of a 4-0 home defeat against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.

Despite that, Davies is wary of the threats that Saturday's visitors pose and believes the Rams need to be on top of their game if they are to ensure they come away with a positive result.

“We are going by what our home form is, so anyone that comes to Pride Park we hope that we can do business, get the win and get the clean sheet which has been a good thing as well,” he said.

“No game is an easy game and the second you take your eye off the ball, a club like QPR, who have got good strikers in them with Jordan Hugill and Nahki Wells, they can score goals at this level at will.

“If we are not switched on and think it is going to be a walk in the park, we will get punished. We need to make sure we are on it, put on a good performance and hopefully get the home win.

“Fingers crossed we can then go to Blackburn Rovers in our next game, away from home, with a bit of confidence. This one is the first game, so let’s hope we get the three points and move on from there."