INTERVIEW: Eustace Braced For Tough Wednesday Test

Head Coach John Eustace is expecting a ‘really difficult game’ when Derby County face Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in the Sky Bet Championship on Monday evening (8pm kick-off).

The Owls have had to negate some turbulent battles off the pitch this term, but the November Championship Manager of the Month nominee is anticipating a galvanised Wednesday side to present a stern test when the two sides lock horns on the field.

Eustace will be encouraged by the fighting qualities of his own squad too, especially after witnessing the Rams scrap until the final kick to earn a late point in a 1-1 draw at home to high-flying Millwall on Wednesday night.

Derby’s away form has also provided great encouragement of late. Three victories from four on the road in November - featuring wins over Sheffield United, Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City - have helped Eustace’s side ascend the Sky Bet Championship table.

Ahead of Derby’s opening away trip of a busy festive fixture list, Eustace sat down with RamsTV to discuss how his squad are shaping up.

On the demands of six games in 21 days...

It's all part and parcel of the job and the squad will be ready and prepared. There might be some more injuries, there might be some more suspensions, but what I will say is that the group will be committed and they'll be competitive in every game. That's all I ask for from a really great set of players and staff.

The way you get through difficult moments and through lots of games like that is by working together and sticking together. We have days on the grass, we have days in the classroom, and we will always prepare correctly.

On expecting a tough test on Monday...

All I've taken notice of is how they have been on the field. I went to the Watford game on Tuesday night and thought Sheffield Wednesday were excellent. The way they prepared for the game was obviously very good and the performance was excellent as well.

We know it's going to be a really difficult game. I'm sure that Hillsborough will be full and it should be a good game.

On injured players helping the squad...

They have individual meetings with the players, and they also reflect on the games that they've watched. They're helping the group, they're helping the staff and they're keeping morale high.

We know how important these players are when they're not on the pitch. That's the positive thing about bringing big characters in; they've got a huge job to play on and off the field. It's a group effort over the course of the season and everyone plays a big part in that.

On the opening half of the campaign...

It's a group effort. The fans, the players, the staff, everyone's put in a huge effort to get to where we are at the moment. We need another huge effort from everyone to keep the good work up going into the second half of the season.

On seeing the squad develop over the season...

I think the players have been improving and the squad has been getting fitter and stronger throughout the season. We said we'd go through some difficult moments but there's going to be some really exciting moments throughout the year as well.

You've just got to keep working in the same way every day and keep believing. You're going to get a disappointing run of results and you're going to get a good run of results. The most important thing is that you stick together and keep believing in what we're doing. I think the boys are showing that.