Is this must win? April’s 2-0 home win over Stoke is a distant memory: Derby have won just once at Pride Park since. “We realise we haven't won enough home games up to now,” Eustace said in Thursday’s pre-match press conference. “But again, it's a new challenge now on Saturday and it's important that we just go and be as positive as we can and be as competitive as we can and see where it takes us.” It is well documented that the Rams’ squad is depleted, with Sondre Lang

The 4-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers that was John Eustace’s first game in charge of Derby laid bare the difficulty of the job he had taken on. Now keeping it seems a bigger task than ever. Looking to build on the positives of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Wrexham, the Rams boss named an unchanged XI at Loftus Road. Also unchanged, were Derby’s fortunes from that night exactly 20 months ago. This was a horrendous of full circle moment. Yes, I’d written that before Lars-

The confirmation of the inevitable administration season relegation. The Valentine’s Day thrashing which was the John Eustace era’s nightmare start. And, ugh, Bobby Zamora. Queens Park Rangers have not been the kindest of opponents for Derby in recent years. While demons were banished when Jaydon Banel kept the Rams’ play-off hopes alive with a stunning 88th minute winner back in April, Eustace’s mind is focused firmly on the job at hand. He said: “we’re in a different posi

In his post-match interview with Rams TV, John Eustace echoed the away end in bringing back a phrase the flock have used a lot over the past few years: “We fight to the end.” That was the sentiment four years ago, almost to the week, when the administration-stricken Rams were relegated at Loftus Road. Again, last season during The Great Escape. Even after the nightmare start to Eustace’s tenure that was the 4-0 defeat at the same ground 14 months ago. Reflecting on that g

Given the decades of history between the two teams, it is a little ironic that the latest battle between Derby County and Leeds United was defined by two short periods. When Jacob Widell Zetterström gave away, and then saved a penalty from Joel Piroe, any concerns surrounding the atmosphere in a relatively sparsely populated Pride Park disappeared. There was only one way to stop the “We all hate Leeds!” chants that had begun after The Rams’ Swedish stopper had dived to hi