Derby County Head Coach Paul Warne says 'everything matters' as the Rams prepare to enter the final four games of the 2022/23 season.
With 12 points left to play for, the Rams currently sit one point outside of the Sky Bet League One play-off places and have a long trip to Exeter City next on the agenda on Tuesday evening following Saturday's late 1-1 draw at Bristol Rovers.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the game at St James Park, Warne gave his thoughts about the Grecians and the final run-in.
On the season going down to the wire...
Personally I don't switch off. It's difficult for everyone involved in football because I don't expect many Derby County fans had a great Saturday night after they equalised in the last minute.
I woke up this morning at 4am trying to work out exactly how we're going to go for Exeter. You go through all sorts of connotations and what the opposition can do to you. It's difficult, but that's what we get paid for.
Everything matters but now the intensity is through the roof. Our performance against Bristol Rovers wasn't great but the lads dug in and we had nothing left in the tank at the end and then obviously gave away a penalty.
If that's at the start of the season you think it's a point away from home and it's not that bad but a point away from home now isn't great because we need wins.
It's the same for all the teams around us right now and that's why the league table never lies come the end of the season. The best teams go up, the best performer in the play-offs goes up and then everyone else has to cry and moan about it.
On learning about the players now...
You know the ones you can rely on and this doesn't sound like football utopia, but sometimes football turns into a street fight. League One, especially, is so random and it's the random part that we have to deal with.
On Saturday, Bristol Rovers brought on three 'number nines' and the game became so random. They were hitting crosses from everywhere but what you learn from that is the people that can stand up to that and the players that possibly aren't ready for it just yet but that's in the evolution of every football team.
You learn the ones who internally criticise and externally criticise and you see the true good characters. There are amazing players and characters here that unfortunately for us - we are just below par at the moment.
On Harvey White after giving away the penalty at Bristol Rovers...
Harvey was genuinely upset after Saturday's game. He was visibly upset afterwards because you go from a win away from home after not playing too great to giving away a penalty that costs the team two points.
He feels like he's played a massive part in that downfall and I can see why he thinks that because he has in fairness to him, but it's the referee that makes the decision.
My issue is further down the pitch when we have a throw-in in their final third and we let them out too easily. They hit a diagonal ball into the box from there, recycle it, cross it and then it's a penalty.
I messaged Harvey on Sunday to ask how he was doing and he asked me what I thought he should have done differently. I still don't think it's a penalty, but it's gone now and it's all part of the learning curve.
He's absolutely fine and he will be ready to play a part at Exeter.
On the remaining four games...
My attitude hasn't really changed. We will go to Exeter trying to grab the game by the throat.
At this stage of the season, a point we may think is not very good but it might be the point we need. We might be fortunate enough to be excellent at home against Burton Albion and Portsmouth and get back-to-back wins and then go into the Sheffield Wednesday game on the final day of the season with everything to play for.
We may need to refresh a few positions as some lads genuinely look tired and their stats suggest it also so we'll have to look at that. However, come 10pm on Tuesday a point may look great, but it's always our intention to win.
On Exeter City...
It was a really difficult game at home and played out a 0-0 draw when we faced them in October, I remember it vividly.
They are very good and have very mobile strikers, very good strikers in fairness. They are a very mobile mid-20s team that enjoy playing home.
They narrowly lost to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday so we think we know what to expect but, like we always say, the game is random and we can give the lads so much information and we have good players - so the rest is up to them.
