3/1 To Win
Derby County Head Coach Paul Warne says he was left 'feeling relieved' after the 2-1 home victory over Cheltenham Town at Pride Park Stadium.
After going behind early in the second half, the Rams fought back with goals from Max Bird and James Collins and cemented a vital three points in Sky Bet League One.
Speaking to RamsTV after the game, Warne gave his verdict on the performance.
On how he's feeling after the result...
I'm feeling relieved, really. Fair play to the lads, they could have crumbled because they weren't at their best - but they kept going. We only had two real attempts on goal, and they were good goals that got us out of it. It felt like it was a pitch that suited winter football. We were passing the ball too much in front of Cheltenham and never trying to get in behind and cause them problems. In fairness, they asked that of us. They worked so hard and pressed even our full-backs. At half-time we told the players they just had to try and make the pitch bigger and be a bit more dynamic in their play. In the end we won. We are pleased with that but we're not leaving the stadium thinking that everything is perfect.
On having quality in the key moments...
Birdy's goal was something else and that's come from going down the side in the first place. Nat crossed the ball into the box for a great finish from Collo. We weren't creating that in the first-half because there was no urgency in our play and that was disappointing. I thought the lads that came off the bench had a positive effect. I'm not knocking the lads for effort but in the times when it really mattered today, I don't think we got our basics right enough. I'm pleased that we won and credit to Cheltenham, they worked tirelessly and made it very difficult for us, so to get a win is good. For the fans that stayed with the team, I really appreciate that.
On Corey Blackett-Taylor after his first start...
We train differently to his previous club and it isn't just a drag and drop situation, which everyone thinks it will be. He'll have another week with the lads now and see how we progress. We need to show him things and what we expect of him. It was a good day in the end but a difficult way to get there.
On Callum Elder's fitness...
I think we're going to miss him for another ten days or say. We had choices whether to play with three centre-backs and play with wing-backs. Callum missed out today and JJ as well. We were worried about Cash because he hasn't done much on the grass in the last couple of days, he was really stiff. With a week until the next game now, we can start building them up for next week.
