Head Coach John Eustace says Derby County still have 'a huge job to do’ after his side's 1-0 win at Hull City sent them into 19th place ahead of the final day of the 2024/25 Sky Bet Championship season next weekend.
After a tense game with little to split the sides at the MKM Stadium, the Rams struck in the 84th minute as a towering header by on-loan Liverpool defender Nat Phillips was enough to take all three points against the Tigers.
Derby will take on Stoke City in the final fixture of the season at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday 3rd May (12:30pm kick-off) and they still have a job to do to complete their fight to solidify their Championship status for next season.
Eustace spoke to RamsTV following his side’s win in Yorkshire which moved them a point away from the relegation zone.
On the 1-0 win over Hull City on Humberside…
An amazing day. I am really proud of the efforts of the players, the fans, and the staff. I thought we controlled the game without the ball and with the ball at times, but especially without the ball. We limited a good footballing team to next to nothing.
The only chances they really had were when we were sloppy in possession or when we were sloppy at the back. Overall, I felt very comfortable in the game. When you've got good delivery, like we have from set pieces, and you've got big men in there who want to go and put their head on it, you've always got a chance.
On Nat Phillips getting his first Derby goal…
It was all about the ball in from Fozzy. He's got a wand of a left foot, and it was a fantastic ball. We spoke to Nat last week about all the effects he's been having off the set pieces to create chances for others. It's about time he stepped up and put one in the net! Today was the day for Nat, and I'm delighted for him. Again, as always, it was a group effort.
On the importance of being difficult to play against…
The players have been amazing since day one. I know we had a couple of really difficult results in that first couple of weeks, but I could see the effort on the training ground was there. The players want to learn. They want to play in a way that's going to get results. Their efforts have been magnificent up to now. We've got a really big week now with training on that training pitch to get ready to play Stoke, who are an exceptional team as well. It's going to be a tough challenge, but I know the lads will be prepared properly and we'll give it our best.
On needing to remain level-headed and focused going into the final game…
We've got a huge job to do. There's no way anyone's getting carried away with anything. This is the Championship. It's relentless. All we focus on is ourselves, which we've done since we've come into the football club. Next week's a huge game that we're looking forward to.
On the support from a sold-out away end…
It’s incredible. It just reminds me of when I was a player, we had some fantastic moments. This last seven weeks, we've had some great moments as well. Home and away, the fans have been right behind us. Next week at Pride Park, it's going to be packed with 32,000 fans and we need it rocking, even when we have some difficult periods. We need you guys to really back this group of players who are fighting and scrapping for you and the football club.
