INTERVIEW: Eustace Previews Good Friday Coventry Contest

John Eustace spoke about the need for hard work to achieve success for Derby County ahead of the final stretch of Sky Bet Championship matches, beginning against Coventry City on Good Friday (8pm kick-off).

The Rams will aim to continue the momentum picked up before the recent March international break, with a 1-0 home win against Birmingham City, when they head to the CBS Arena to face league leaders Coventry on Good Friday.

Ben Brereton Díaz, Patrick Agyemang and Sam Szmodics all joined up with their respective national sides over the recent fixture break.

The Head Coach spoke to RamsTV to reflect on the recent international break, his visit to Derbyshire Cricket’s training session and look forward to a tough test against first-placed Coventry.

On the Squad Over the International Break

The lads worked hard. We managed to get a few days' rest as well, which was really important, but the boys were back at it, and they were great to work with.

Mickey Arthur (Derbyshire Cricket Head Coach) invited me in to watch their preparations before their big opening game on Friday. It was great that somebody with that experience and legendary status in the game asks you to come down. I went and had a fantastic afternoon. The staff were brilliant, the players were fully focused, ready to go. It was a great experience.

On Players Returning from International Duty

They're in good spirits. Patrick came back late last night. Bez was back the day before, I think. They're both raring to go. They've both had really good camps, and it was great to see them both score, so we're really pleased for them.

On Expectations Ahead of the Season and Progress Made

I didn't know what to expect (going into the season). I knew that if we could build in the right way and get the players doing what we wanted to do, then you never know in the Championship. I think we're in a really good position.

We've made huge progress throughout the season. We've had lots of reasons to feel sorry for ourselves and to think it's not going to work properly. There have been injuries, even over the last couple of games. We could easily use excuses on why we haven't had a good season, but I think we've had a really positive season and every one of those players has played a huge part in that - they have stepped up and have been magnificent.

On Opponents, Coventry City

It's a fantastic team with a great manager and coaching staff. The club has been in the top ten for the last three or four years. They just missed out last year.

You can see if you do build properly, and if you're given time, you will get that success. Coventry have certainly done that. They've got a really exciting squad which they've built over the last three or four years. They're reaping the rewards now.