3/1 To Win
Cameron Cresswell insists Derby County's Under-23s hold all the power in their final game of the season against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Monday night, kick-off: 7pm.
The Rams have one up on Sunderland, who are also trying to avoid the final spot that will face the drop next term.
With a two-point lead and considerable advantage on goal difference, a draw should secure Derby’s stay in the Premier League 2 Division 1 for the third-consecutive season and condemn the Black Cats to relegation.
Their cause was helped by an emphatic 1-0 victory over West Ham United last Monday. Cresswell played the full 90 minutes at the Training Ground in partnership with the University of Derby where Jayden Bogle slotted the only goal in after a perfectly played ball from Alex Babos.
Reflecting on the win, Cresswell told RamsTV: “We knew with the league situation we had to win the game to relieve some of the pressure going into the final match.
“We did our job, we were solid as a team, we got the goal, we were compact at the back and we didn’t give them much. I think we deserved the win.
“All of us knew how big the occasion was but at the same time I think we dealt with it well. All the nerves seemed to go away at the first whistle, we worked hard and got stuck in and the nervousness and anticipation from before the match went away.”
The Rams will be looking for another composed and mature performance in their final game that will be played the same time as Sunderland take on Swansea City. The 18-year-old striker wants to leave nothing down to chance and wants the squad to seal that last remaining spot in the top division on their own accord.
He said: “The coach has been digging it into us to drive hard this week and to keep pushing.
“We know that we need to really work this week in training and go into Leicester knowing that we are going to need a result to keep us in the league.
“We know that [Sunderland] need to win but for us that’s not important.
“The situation is in our hands, we have the power, we are in the position that if we get the result then it doesn’t matter what Sunderland do at Swansea. We want to do it ourselves. We want to go away and win at Leicester, we don’t want to have to rely on someone else to save us.”
