Cocu: “We Have To Keep Going In The Same Direction”

Phillip Cocu believes Derby County have a positive platform to build on when the return to Sky Bet Championship action against Watford on Friday evening following the October international break (7:45pm kick-off).

Derby went into the two-week gap without a fixture off the back of a hard-fought 1-0 win at Norwich City.

Skipper Wayne Rooney curled home a delightful free-kick late on at Carrow Road to hand the Rams their first points of the season.

The win over the Canaries came after three successive league defeats to start the campaign - but Derby displayed their character and togetherness to return home with all three points.

Cocu now wants to see more of the same moving forward, especially with seven games on the fixture list between now and the November international window.

The Friday night clash against the Hornets at Pride Park Stadium is an opportunity for Derby to rack up back-to-back wins and begin to climb the Championship standings.

“We have to move forward and keep going in the same direction after the win at Norwich before the international break, with the same attitude and same demands of each other,” Cocu told RamsTV.

“We can never get a 100 per cent guarantee that you win games, but in the long run luck will come your way and results will come your way because you deserve it.

“The first opportunity we have now to show it is a big game against Watford.”

He added: “We presented ourselves in a good way at Norwich; we were aggressive, the intensity was high and we performed as a team.

“That is what we need to put on every game. If we do it, we have qualities to win games.”

Watford, along with Norwich and AFC Bournemouth, were relegated from the Premier League in July.

Cocu believes the Hornets have a good mix of youth and experience in their squad, but has stressed that his side must believe in their own qualities as they chase a first home win of the campaign.

He said: “I think they have a lot of quality in their team and as a team coming down, they are always one of the favourites for direct promotion.

“They have a mix of very talented young players, gifted individuals and some experienced players. It is a mixed squad with a lot of options, so they will be a tough opponent.

“Like we showed against Norwich, we have to believe in our chances. We are also a strong side so we have the confidence, but also have respect for the qualities of our rivals.”