"We Have Got To Get On And Patch Ourselves Up"

Richard Keogh is already focused on bouncing back from a 2-1 defeat against Stoke City by righting the wrongs on Saturday.

The Potters took the lead midway through the first-half through a goal by Sam Clucas, but minutes later they were reduced to 10 men when Peter Etebo was shown a straight red card for a high challenge on Keogh.

The Rams equalised when Harry Wilson curled in a free-kick for his sixth league goal of the season, before Tom Ince bagged the winning goal - and it was one that Keogh admitted was sloppy to concede.

Reflecting on the game, Keogh told RamsTV: “We got back into the game after the sending off and we probably had the ascendancy.

“We gave them a goal that we should have avoided then it is difficult when they have got that deep and everyone behind the ball. They worked hard to be fair to them, we need to be a bit braver and try and unlock it which we didn’t.

“It was a little bit sloppy at times and we didn’t do enough with the ball for the amount of possession we had. We did have chances and their keeper made some good saves as well.”

The Rams will have a chance to quickly regain momentum when they return to Pride Park Stadium on Saturday to face Swansea City.

In the few days between and moving forward, Keogh said it is vital to do some fine tuning behind the scenes and take care of every tiny detail.

“We are down and a bit frustrated that we lost the game, but this league is all about bouncing back and we have got to make sure we do that on Saturday,” the defender said.

“We have got to get on with it, patch ourselves up and get going. We are a young group and we are going to have bumps in the road, at the moment we are in a decent position, but we want to be higher.

“Like the manager said, the small details are important, that is how you get to be a top team and we have got to make sure we keep doing that on the training pitch.

“It’s not just shape and stuff like that, it’s about being with the ball and making sure we make the right decisions. Probably at times we didn’t so there is a lot to work on but I’m excited about this team.”

The defeat moved the Rams to seventh in the table but Keogh, who is in his seventh season at Derby, is excited about the potential of the team, especially with the younger players in the squad who compliment the more experienced players, like Keogh, well.

“We have got a great group, a good mix of youth and experience. They are young and are going to make mistakes and learn from them, but they are exciting,” said Keogh.

“Also, I can’t speak highly enough of the fans. I have been at the club a long time and you know what you are going to get from them, they are amazing and you they will back us.

“They see the excitement in this team and they will be excited moving forward. It’s up us to make sure we fulfil that potential. If we do then we have a good a shot as anybody in this league to achieve something great.”