3/1 To Win
Scott Carson says Derby County need to stop giving themselves mountains to climb during games.
Derby were beaten 2-1 by fellow top-six rivals Fulham at Pride Park Stadium on Saturday afternoon in their first Sky Bet Championship fixture of March.
Aleksandar Mitrovic's deflected shot following a short corner put the visitors ahead early on and an angled Ryan Sessegnon strike doubled their lead soon afterwards.
Derby rallied after the break and Tom Huddlestone pulled a goal back midway through the half from the edge of the box.
Gary Rowett’s side could have equalised as they applied late pressure with Matej Vydra and Richard Keogh both going close in added time.
Derby have won one, drawn five and lost two of their last eight games and Carson admits the Rams are making life difficult for themselves right now.
The Rams, who sit fifth in the league table after 35 games, have been defensively solid for the majority of the campaign but have found clean sheets harder to come by in recent weeks.
Carson told RamsTV after the game: “We started the game really well and with a high intensity and we felt things were going to be on the up.
“As soon as they scored the first goal we seemed to lose a lot of confidence and stop doing the things that got us into good positions in the first place.
“We basically handed it to them on a plate in the first half. There were a lot of strong words at half-time because we needed to show more belief and desire than we did in the opening 45 minutes.
“In the second half we rolled our sleeves up and tried to get ourselves back into the game. We got a goal back through Tom Huddlestone and kicked on.
“We got ourselves in some good positions and had a few chances but it seems like our luck isn’t in at the minute and we’re just giving ourselves mountains to climb too.”
Carson says Derby need to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible to restore their confidence.
The Rams face Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Tuesday night before making the short journey across the East Midlands to take on old rivals Nottingham Forest next Sunday.
He said: “The only way we can change our luck is by getting back to what we’re good at and being hard to beat.
“We probably are lacking a bit of confidence which is understandable when you don’t win games.
“It’s frustrating and when you’re not winning games as a player you always try to do that little bit extra.
“We know we’re the only people that can change it and we’ll do everything we possibly can to make it happen.”
Carson was grateful for the Rams fans sticking with the side despite tasting a rare home loss.
Last season’s Player of the Year admits it’s a key time for everyone to stick together and be united as one.
He said: “The fans were good with us and being behind at home we know they aren’t going to be best pleased – but they stuck with us.
“That’s what we need; we need everyone behind us and make sure players don’t go into their shells.
“We showed in the second half with the fans on our side that we can play. Everyone needs to stick together at the moment.”
