REACTION: ‘Outstanding from the First Minute’ - Eustace

John Eustace saluted his Derby County side’s ‘front-footed’ performance in their fourth home league victory in a row with a 1-0 win over Birmingham City.

The Rams earned three points thanks to Rhian Brewster’s header just before half-time.

The win sees Derby enter the international break with momentum and eight matches remaining in the 2025/26 season.

Eustace caught up with RamsTV to assess getting a win in the final match before a two-week hiatus.

On the Performance Overall

I thought we were outstanding from the first minute to the last; we were on the front foot. I'm so proud of the effort of the group today. We were up against the top team, they were chasing the play-offs, and I thought we dominated from the first minute to the last.

We had a number of chances; it could have been four or five if we were more clinical, the way we defended the box.

After going to Portsmouth on Monday night, putting in a battling display and making sure we came away with three points, it was really pleasing. We are making good progress.

On Rhian Brewster’s Match-Winning Goal

First and foremost, Rhian’s a fantastic lad. He’s a top character. He leads by example. And although he's only 25, he's got a lot of leadership qualities - both on and off the pitch.

His performances are getting better and better, he's very reliable, and he's getting fitter, which is great. I'm delighted that he scored a header today.

He had to do a lot of unselfish work today to make sure we stopped a very good Birmingham City side. He had to do that at Portsmouth, and he got his rewards.

On Derry Murkin, Who Caught the Eye

I'm delighted the way he's settled in, for sure, but it's very easy for all the players to come into our dressing room and settle in the way they do. When you're looking to rebuild, and you're looking to lay deep foundations for the football club over the next two or three seasons, the dressing room has got to be key to that.

When you're recruiting players, sometimes it might not be just on the pitch; it's off the pitch as well. We've got a dressing room in there that makes sure that everyone who comes in feels part of the family, they feel relaxed, and they can perform to the best of their ability.

On Keeping Two Clean Sheets in One Week

Every single player from the back to the front defended very, very well. We pressed very high up the pitch - we showed no fear in our football, Richard O’Donnell was protected really well.

On the Remainder of the Season

We have seven huge games coming up, and we take each game as it comes. I know it's very easy to say, but we've just got to keep worrying about ourselves. If we lose the next couple of games, then we come back, and we bounce back; we've shown that throughout this season.

No one's got any divine right to get into that top six, but what we will do is we'll keep fighting and scrapping for everything. It might not be pretty at times, but we've got big Championship players now in that dressing room. They’re used to this pressure, and hopefully we can keep going.

Midfielder Bobby Clark also caught up with RamsTV post-match.

On Taking the Game to Birmingham

We knew it was going to be a tough game. Obviously, they've got some good players in their team, but we dug in, stuck to our game plan very well, executed it perfectly and got the three points.

It’s pleasing because we went through a tough spell at home. Obviously, we’ve not picked up results here, but the fans stuck with us, and now we've got four on the bounce. It's a great feeling.

On the Team’s Position and Quality Shining Through

We’ve known all along that we have quality in the team. But we’re in a really good position at the moment.