Sat 01 Nov - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 4mins
Head Coach John Eustace and hat-trick hero Carlton Morris and gave their thoughts after Derby County took maximum points away from Sheffield United in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday.
The win was Derby’s third on the bounce in the league, and Morris bagged all three goals for Eustace’s side in the 3-1 triumph at Bramall Lane – his first career hat-trick, which takes his tally for the season to eight goals.
A Joe Ward corner was nodded in by the Rams' number nine after 24 minutes to put Derby in front, and two goals in the second half, one a dinked finish seconds after the restart and one from the penalty spot, put Derby out of sight before Callum O’Hare’s consolation strike for the hosts.
RamsTV caught up with Morris after the victory in the Steel City to talk about his first senior career hat-trick.
It was amazing. Getting to score the second and third goals in front of the travelling fans (in the away end) was just so perfect behind the goal. The Derby fans were class, so it's something I'll carry with me for the rest of my career.
It was very special (to get the hat-trick). A lot of the credit has to go to the lads, if I'm being honest. Wardy with his top-quality delivery caused big problems all game today, and Pat winning the penalty for the third as well. I'm made up and it's a big day for me personally, but the most important thing is the lads in there all buzzing with another win.
It has all stemmed from earlier in the season when the results weren't going too well. There were still some really good performances in there and some positives to take away from games. I wasn't just saying that when times were tough, there were positives. I feel we're reaping the rewards of that at the moment. But ultimately, this is an extremely difficult league.
We've got another tough game on Tuesday against Hull City at Pride Park, and our focus now needs to go on to that. We'll enjoy this result today and celebrate it.
RamsTV also spoke with Eustace after the final whistle at Bramall Lane to get his verdict on the 90 minutes.
I am very pleased and very proud. It was a fantastic effort by everyone. Every player on that pitch today was fantastic. To come here and score three goals and get the win is really pleasing.
We were really solid; our shape was excellent. The discipline without the ball was good. At times, we were really good with the ball as well. We always looked a threat on the transition. The way we dug in at the end was good, although I was disappointed in the way we conceded. There was a stoppage in play, which led to their long throw and we didn't organise quickly enough. Apart from that, I didn't really feel they were going to score.
It's about the squad growing and building understanding as well as our fitness. Joe Ward wasn't even on the bench a couple of games ago, but it's all about the 25-man squad over the course of 46 games, which plays a huge part. He played with a really good attitude and it's as if he was meant to be here. I was so proud of his effort and his performance today - as I was with the rest of the group as well.
I remember sitting down in the summer with Carlton and asking what he wanted to do this year. And he said: "I've got a huge point to prove, I'm very hungry. I want to be successful. I want to come and play for Derby County."
That was good enough for me! He had a disappointing year last year (at Luton as they were relegated), but he's been a very successful striker in all the leagues. He's played in the Premier League. He was hurting from the relegation from last year as well. We signed a player with a real point to prove at 29.
The recruitment in the summer was excellent and he's a true leader not just on the pitch, but off it too. Carlton is a mentor to a lot of the other boys as well. I'm just very grateful that we managed to get that signing done, and he's scoring goals for us.
Bramall Lane
Middlesbrough
Hull City
Wrexham
Derby County
Norwich City
Birmingham City
Swansea City
Bristol City
