3/1 To Win
Head Coach John Eustace commended his team's attitude as Derby County earned a hard-fought point in a goalless draw against Burnley at Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday evening.
An action-packed 90 minutes saw Derby have a handful of chances, but they were unable to convert against a Burnley side with the best defence in the league.
But it saw them gain a crucial point, with hard-hearted defending keeping out the promotion-pushers.
The Rams have a quick turnaround to build on the evening’s result as they head to Fratton Park to play 17th-place Portsmouth on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Eustace spoke to RamsTV to discuss the 90 minutes under the floodlights.
On a battling 0-0 draw against Burnley…
I’m very proud of the effort of the group. I thought every one of the players who were on the pitch tonight was fantastic. The work rate was there, the desire was there. We were backed by 26,000 fans right behind them as well. It was a good effort from everyone.
[I liked] the way we stuck together, how dogged we were. Even without the ball, we looked very strong defensively and very hard to play against. We limited Burnley to next to nothing in that second half. I think the first 20 minutes were a little bit tentative, but we grew into it.
After that, we finished the first half really well. It looked like we were on the front foot, and we had a couple of chances and set pieces in the second half. I felt very comfortable and disappointed that we maybe couldn't just nick a winner at the end.
On having chances in the game…
Burnley have only conceded 12 goals all season. They're a very well-drilled team; a very good team. I thought we went toe-to-toe with them and we did ourselves proud.
We spoke on Saturday about how the concentration was key to we come away from Swansea with a minimum of a point, and we let ourselves down for that split second. But tonight, I thought we were outstanding. It's something that we've got to keep building, keep bringing into the team. Concentration and communication are key. I thought tonight we were very good.
On three clean sheets in a row at home, building confidence…
I think that's backed with the fantastic fans that we've got here. As long as they see the effort and the desire of the group, then that's all they want to see. Tonight, and since we've been here really, the effort's been there for everyone to see. This group of players are fighting for every point. They'll do everything to try and keep us in the league.
Words: Hannah Walker
