Jason Knight says there is an air of determination around the Derby County squad ahead of tonight Sky Bet Championship fixture at Cardiff City.
Derby will make the long journey to the Welsh capital for what will be their penultimate away fixture of the league campaign (7:45pm kick-off).
A win for the Rams will see them go level on points with the Bluebirds in the fourth and final play-off spot with two games remaining.
Derby, who recorded five successive wins either side of the break in the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic to burst into play-off contention, are looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses against promotion chasers West Bromwich Albion and Brentford.
Knight, who scored the side’s goal in their 3-1 home defeat against Brentford at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday, says the Rams are determined to bounce back against the Bluebirds.
The 19-year-old has also admitted that the Derby players know the importance of the fixture at Cardiff City Stadium.
Speaking to RamsTV, Knight said: “There’s a feeling of determination to get back to winning ways in the squad and to put ourselves back into that fight.
“We know that if we get a good result on Tuesday then we can put ourselves right back into it.
“I think you could say it’s business as usual, but we all know how big of a game it is on Tuesday. To keep our play-off hunt in check, we need to go there and get a good result.”
Looking back on Saturday’s game against Brentford, Knight added: “We knew they were going to be a good team and they’ve got a lot of threats going forward.
“I thought for large parts of the game we did really well, it’s just silly mistakes that cost us and that’s where we need to improve and get better.”
Knight’s goal against Brentford was his fifth of the season to date.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international only made his first team bow at the beginning of the campaign, but he has already shown he can hold down a first-team spot.
His composed finish against the Bees came at the end of a flowing team move, with skipper Wayne Rooney slipping the midfielder in to fire home to make the scoreline 1-1 midway through the first half.
Knight said: “It is great to score goals and help the team out in that way, but it’s more about getting a win than anything else.
“It would have been a more valuable goal if it got us the win.
“I guess it is bizarre that Wayne Rooney is getting an assist for me to score a goal but at the time, you don’t even take notice of it in the moment.
“When you look back at it, and someone says it to you, then it is a big thing personally.”
