Defender calls on Rams to maintain their defensive form ahead of tonight's clash at Charlton Athletic.
Richard Keogh is demanding that Derby County maintain their ‘hard to beat’ mentality when they head to Charlton Athletic this evening.
Derby are unbeaten in their opening three matches of the 2014/15 season in all competitions and are yet to concede a goal.
A 1-0 win over Rotherham United and a 0-0 draw at Sheffield Wednesday in the league, with a 2-0 Capital One Cup victory at Carlisle United sandwiched inbetween, has been viewed as a positive start to Derby’s campaign.
Keogh believes Derby’s unbeaten run and clean sheet record will be put to the test at The Valley, but he is convinced the side can rise to the challenge.
He told Rams Player: “Three clean sheets, as a defender, is pleasing and hopefully it is a sign of things to come.
“It’s a continuation of our pre-season form and we’ve set a target that we aim to achieve as a back unit.
“It isn’t about just the defence though because everyone plays their part.
“We’re looking hard to beat and that’s something we want to continue.
“We have matchwinners in our team and if we can remain patient and keep it tight, we know we can go on and win games.”
He added: “Charlton will give us a really tough game and they’ve had a pretty decent start.
“They got a late winner on Saturday so they’ll be full of confidence.
“Every game is tough and the Championship is the toughest it has been, certainly since I’ve been playing in it.”
Keogh is convinced there’s more fluency to come in Derby’s game.
The Rams kicked into gear last season towards the winter months, following Head Coach Steve McClaren’s appointment, and Keogh is adamant that the side will only improve.
“Our start has been solid and the fluency will come because we’re working hard on it,” he said.
“If you look at the games we’ve produced good performances as a team and individuals.
“It’s been a good start but there’s more to come from us and we know we can get better.
“There are a lot of positives as a team; we’re unbeaten and haven’t conceded a goal.
“Teams are looking at us differently but we have to concentre on ourselves and not get carried away.”
Watch Richard Keogh’s full pre-match interview on Rams Player.
