3/1 To Win
Wayne Rooney believes his Derby County players have shown they’ve got plenty of ‘character’ as they continue to fight against the odds to remain in the Sky Bet Championship.
Derby kept their albeit faint hopes of avoiding the drop into League One alive on Easter Friday with a superb 2-1 win over league leaders Fulham at Pride Park Stadium.
Fulham knew a win would see them secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, but the Rams stormed back from 1-0 down at the break to score twice in the second half to pick up all three points.
Derby boast one of the best home records in the Championship this term and once again, with the home faithful behind them, Rooney’s players stepped up to produce a fine display.
The Rams are nine points adrift of safety with four games left to play and Rooney’s side have fought valiantly against a hefty 21-point deduction for entering administration and a historical breach of profitability and sustainability rules.
Next up for Derby is a trip to Queens Park Rangers on Easter Monday (3pm kick-off) as they look to address their indifferent run of form on the road and pick up their first away win of 2022.
Rooney wants to bottle up all the positives from the Fulham win and take them into the clash in West London.
Talking after the win over Fulham on Easter Friday, Rooney said: “We’ve got character in this squad and that’s what I’ve wanted ever since I took this job.
“The lads have quality, a lot of them are young too, but they’re good characters and a desire to work hard and fight for this club.
“We must follow up all the good work and another home win by trying to get a win away from home. It won’t be easy, Queens Park Rangers are a good side, but we will give it a real go to try and get the three points.”
He added: “There are so many positives from this season and what is important is we get the future of this club sorted in terms of the takeover being completed and moving forward.”
