REACTION: Eustace And Clark Reflect On 'Magnificent' Middlesbrough Win

Head Coach John Eustace described his players as ‘magnificent’ after Derby County's 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough on New Year's Day.

Bobby Clark’s winner midway through the second half ensured Derby got off to the perfect start in 2026, earning a ninth Sky Bet Championship victory of the season.

Eustace was delighted with the grit and determination shown against a strong Middlesbrough side, who began the day in the division's automatic promotion places.

Speaking to RamsTV after the full-time whistle, the Derby boss was full of praise for his squad.

On Kicking Off 2026 With A Win:

I think we rode our luck a little bit at times today, but I’m very satisfied. We set up to play against a certain system, Middlesbrough are excellent at what they do and they completely changed their game, so it took us a little time to adapt to that.

The players were magnificent in the way they adjusted. To come away with three points against a tough team like that is really pleasing.

On The Ability To Adapt Mid-Game:

We're up against teams that show us a lot more respect now and we show every team we play against a lot of respect. We do a lot of work on the opposition with and without the ball, and I was really pleased with the way the players adapted to their different build-ups after the first 10-15 minutes.

The players take full responsibility for that. It's very evident where we sometimes lack a little bit of quality, we make up for it with grit and determination. This group of players will give sweat and blood for the fans.

On Winning At Home:

I'm delighted that we got the three points. We haven't won as many games as we would like at home, we've had too many draws. To start the New Year really well with a fantastic win against a really good team is very pleasing.

On Keeping A Clean Sheet:

Jacob [Widell Zetterström] was top draw and quite rightly got Player of the Match, but the whole back five were superb. I thought Ebou Adams and Liam Thompson were top draw defensively as well, they went about their business really well today without the ball. You have to do that at times, you have to dig in, look after each other and I think we did that as a group.

It's all about the squad. It's about the 11 players who are on the pitch during the 90 minutes, and we defend from the front. I thought the all-round defensive display from the whole team to make sure we didn't concede a goal was there for everyone to see.

On Bobby Clark’s Goal:

Bobby's a top young performer, we're so pleased that he managed to get out there today and play the way he did.

You could see at times that he was struggling a little bit [with his knock] but that's the kind of character he is. He's a really exciting, young, hungry player that we're very happy to have here to help with his development.

The last couple of games we've been playing him a little bit higher because we know he can create and score, so I'm pleased that he's managed to get a goal now.

After scoring his first Championship goal, match-winner Bobby Clark also took the time to speak to RamsTV.

On Taking All Three Points:

It was a great game. It was a tough battle for the majority of the match, but I was buzzing to nick a goal and get the three points.

On Showing Defensive Resilience:

You've got to show a bit of respect to them because they've got good players, they're a really good team with the ball, and they've got a lot of strong patterns. We dug in really well and got the three points.

On Scoring His First Championship Goal:

I was buzzing. It's been something I've been probably overthinking a bit too much, wanting to get a goal and snatching at a few opportunities. So when it fell my way today, I was buzzing.

I don't know if I gave a shout to Lars [Jørgen Salvesen], I think I just took it upon myself. I saw him running and then I just nicked it off him and put it in the back of the net.

On Avenging The Defeat In The Reverse Fixture:

That was a frustrating one for us, obviously being 1-0 up for the majority of the game and then conceding two sloppy goals. We definitely owed them one.