Derby County are back in the driving seat in the race to secure a play-off place on Sunday and Scott Carson believes the final clash with relegation-battling Barnsley will play to their advantage.
Two fighting performances churned out impressive results in the last two games against Cardiff City and Aston Villa to see the Rams regain composure and move back in to sixth place.
Following that win and draw, it is back on their terms to extend the season to the play-offs after a difficult few weeks.
Carson believes that many had written off Derby’s season after three consecutive losses saw them drop from fifth to seventh. However, he said the team never stopped believing in themselves and the doubters just helped fuel their desire to fight back.
Speaking to RamsTV he said: “It’s in our hands, it’s up to us to go and do everything we can to win the game on Sunday.
“It’s been up and down over the last month or so. People started doubting us, but then we got two good results that people probably weren’t expecting.
“On the back of the Burton game it was all doom and gloom and people thought we didn’t want it but obviously we showed a lot of character and fight especially in the last two games where we really had to dig deep and I think we have proved some people wrong.”
In the final game a draw against the Tykes will be enough to see the Rams promotion aspirations stay alive with a place in the play-offs.
However, Barnsley have their own agenda that will surely see them leave everything on the pitch. Sitting just one place above the drop zone, they need a win to ensure their safety in the Championship for another season.
Carson thinks that the Tykes’ fight for their lives will play to the Rams’ strengths.
“Hopefully it will work in our favour that they will need to come out and try to attack us,” he said.
“We seem to be suited when teams do that, we have been catching teams a lot on the break lately and it’s been working well. I think we would rather that than them only needing a point and they are just sitting.
“There are going to be a lot of twists and turns on Sunday, top and bottom, it’s going to be a fascinating day.”
The final day of the Sky Bet Championship season is set to be an exciting conclusion with a handful of teams on the brink of relegation while Preston North End will be fighting to tussle the final play-off place from Derby.
The Lilywhites are two points behind, although the Rams have a considerable advantage on goal difference so a point will see them remain in sixth.
Carson added: “Normally you have an idea and you can sense what’s going on in and around the ground with other results.
“First and foremost we need to get our job done and make sure we have that sixth place the whoever we play it’s going to be a tough game.
“At the end of the day it will be two, possibly three games, that you have worked so hard for all season and it will be whoever wants it most.”
