Tom Huddlestone delivered an honest assessment when offering his take on Derby County’s 2-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.


Diogo Jota fired the hosts after just six minutes at Molineux before Ruben Neves scored a stunning volley just after half-time to secure all three points for the hosts.

The victory left Nuno Espirito Santo's table-topping side on the verge of securing promotion to the Premier League.

Derby remain fifth in the Sky Bet Championship table with five matches left to play and with hopes of finishing in the top six very much in their hands.

Huddlestone, who gained promotion to the top-flight with Hull City via the play-off route two seasons ago, admitted going behind early on was less than ideal and gave the Rams an uphill challenge to overcome.


He told RamsTV: “Our game-plan was out of the window after six minutes and that was disappointing. After that it was down to us to take the game to them because they had the lead.

“I think we could maybe have had a bit more courage in possession of the ball but, against a team like Wolves, you are always fearful of what they can do to you on the break.

“Wolves did have a lot of the ball and a lot of it was at the back at times. I don’t think they created an endless amount of chances but you have to say the second goal was one where if we had two goalkeepers it would still have gone in.”

He added: “Wolves are on the verge of going up and I think they will do well in the Premier League next season. They have been the best team in the division.

“They are a very good side and they play slightly different to a lot of sides in the Championship; every player in their side is comfortable on the ball.”


Derby return to Championship action on Saturday when they make the short trip across the A38 to take on Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium (3pm kick-off).

Huddlestone has made it clear that the Rams must not take their opponents lightly against the side currently sat at the bottom of the table.

He said: “As we saw when we lost against Sunderland recently you cannot take any team for granted in this division. You have to give a hundred per cent regardless of who the opposition is.

“Burton are fighting for their lives to stay in the Championship so we are aware it will be another tough test for us.”

He added: “We have three days to prepare and get this game out of our systems before we step onto the pitch at the weekend.”