3/1 To Win
Striker Jerry Yates says Derby County's ‘tight knit’ squad and fighting spirit was crucial to getting the first away win of the season in midweek and will keep them going ahead of Saturday’s clash with Plymouth Argyle at Pride Park Stadium (3pm kick-off).
Yates was instrumental as the Rams swooped to a 2-1 victory against Coventry City in the Sky Bet Championship on Wednesday night - the side’s first three points in an away fixture this term.
The 27-year-old put Derby into the lead when he capitalised on a defensive error in the 11th minute and secured the points with the second goal as his cross from the left flank was deflected and looped into the net, with the goal going down as an own goal for Coventry defender Bobby Thomas.
Academy graduate Dajaune Brown lined up alongside Yates for his senior debut in the league after the 19-year-old striker scored his first goal from the bench against Hull City at the end of October.
Yates sat down with RamsTV to discuss a crucial win against Coventry and look forward to a battle with Plymouth at Pride Park Stadium.
On getting the first away win of the season against Coventry City…
It was a great game for us all to play in. We had to put some graft in. That goes for everyone, the substitutes that came on and the lads that didn't come on. We were all pushing each other every day to finally get that away win. I do think it's a big weight off our shoulders now.
On opening the scoring against Coventry…
I knew that the left-back at the time wouldn't have seen me when I'd ran up after Jacob’s big goal kick - so I just literally gambled and committed. As soon as he passed it, I thought: “my luck's in here.” At the same time, if the goalkeeper came out he was going to try and nick the ball off me, so I knew I had to take a decent touch and then finish it off.
On partnering with Dajaune Brown at the top of the pitch…
He's got everything. He's a handful for defenders; strong, pacey and can finish. He's got everything. He just needs to keep his head down and obviously he'll have many more opportunities.
He knows he has got to adapt to the speed of the game. I was speaking to him in the first part of the match at Coventry as the nerves can get the better of you and your legs can seize up and stuff like that. I was just telling him that he could get through and he'd be settled into the game after a while. After that, he was frightening! It takes weight off my shoulders playing with him as it's a shared load. I see him in training every day, he just needs to keep his head down, as I said, and he'll have many more opportunities.
On the feeling going into Saturday’s clash with Plymouth…
We are feeling confident after the win on Wednesday night against Coventry. We just need to follow it up to make it back-to-back wins because in this league, that's massive. Everyone sees how tight the league is, so we need to collect points and Saturday is the next opportunity for us to do that.
