Chris van der Weerden has stressed the importance of Derby County avoiding being complacent ahead of tonight’s Sky Bet Championship clash at Luton Town (7:45pm kick-off).
Derby will head Kenilworth Road looking to build on their impressive seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
During that run, the Rams have recorded four wins and three draws in their best run of the season so far.
van der Weerden, the Rams’ assistant manager, says nothing should be taken for granted and that the Hatters’ position at the foot of the table is irrelevant in the side’s preparations for the game.
The Dutchman believes that if Derby are to extend their unbeaten run to eight matches when they take on the Hatters, they will have to work incredibly hard.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the game he said: “We know in the Championship there is no easy game, because we have seen that so often.
“If you are at the top or at the bottom, it doesn’t mean anything in individual games.
“Last week you saw Stoke City win at West Bromwich Albion, so there is no easy game. West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United were 11 points up not so long ago, now it’s just a few points.
“The whole league is really tough.You can’t say we’ll win because Luton are bottom of the table, you have to work very hard for it.”
He added: “The momentum isn’t knocking at the door at Moor Farm asking to come in for a few months, you have to keep working incredibly hard to have it.”
Derby have had three full days to prepare for this evening’s game following the goalless draw at Northampton Town in the Fourth Round of the Emirates FA Cup on Friday night.
The sides will do battle at Pride Park Stadium in a replay to determine who will reach the Fifth Round and host Premier League giants Manchester United.
Looking back on the game against the League 2 side, van der Weerden said: “Everybody says this is the charm of the FA Cup. I saw the Liverpool game yesterday too, and Shrewsbury did great.
“It was unlucky we didn’t win and it will be a tough game in the replay, but we are still in the competition. It was a difficult tie, but hopefully we can win next week.”
He added: “You always have to be ready for this run of games. Sometimes, the way we like to play, it isn’t possible against these kinds of opponents.”