George Thorne says it’s imperative that Derby County don’t let all their good work go to waste.
Gary Rowett’s troops brought the curtain down on 2017 with a 2-1 victory at Ipswich Town on Saturday to extend their unbeaten run away from home to nine matches.
Striker Sam Winnall scored both goals at Portman Road and the three points saw Derby move up to second spot in the Sky Bet Championship, following a run of five wins and a draw during December.
Ahead of Monday’s home fixture against Sheffield United at Pride Park Stadium, their first of 2018, Thorne has stressed the importance of Derby remaining focused and not getting ahead of themselves.
He has been part of Derby’s past near-misses for promotion in recent seasons and believes those past experiences can be used as an important reminder for the current squad.
Speaking to RamsTV, Thorne said: “We’re in a good place right now - but we’ve been here before so there’s no need to talk about stuff at this stage.
“We need to keep our heads down, take it game by game and if we’re in the same position come early May then we will have more to talk about.
“The next match is the most important one and this result will go to waste if we don’t back it up on Monday against Sheffield United at Pride Park.”
Thorne felt Derby deserved all three points against Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich, but did admit the Rams could have made life easier for themselves.
They dominated for long spells but were made to work for the victory after the home side pulled a goal back midway through the second half.
The 24-year-old described the win as a ‘great three points’ and added: “It was a great three points for us and we probably should have made it a lot easier for ourselves.
“We had our backs against the wall for the last 20 minutes or so, which you should probably expect when you come to Ipswich and fight for every ball.
“We fought hard and I thought we deserved it.”
Thorne made his second league start of the season in the win at Portman Road and completed the full 90 minutes.
He missed all of last season as he recovered from a broken leg which was sustained at the end of the 2015/16 season.
The 2014 signing from West Bromwich Albion has gradually been building up his match fitness over the course of the season and hopes he has given his manager food for thought following an impressive showing alongside Tom Huddlestone.
He said: “I was delighted to get 90 minutes.
“I felt strong out there and I hope, like I said after the Burton game, that I have given the manager food for thought.
“I feel good physically and the games are coming thick and fast so, when called upon, I am ready.
“The boys have been playing very well and our schedule hasn’t been that hectic up until now lately, so this is the time when the manager will utilise his full squad.
“We saw at Ipswich we had a few changes and the lads that came in did brilliant. I would think the manager will have a headache for Monday now, which is because we have such a quality squad.”
