REACTION: Eustace and Szmodics Hail Oxford Victory

John Eustace spoke after his Derby County side carried on their momentum on home turf with a win over Oxford United.

Eustace spoke to RamsTV following his side’s sixth straight home league victory as Jaydon Banel’s solo effort sealed a 1-0 win over Oxford United.

On How the Game Played Out

Oxford sat in there and was hard to break down. It was a difficult game. I thought there were some really good moments, some great quality of football at times. I was delighted to get the win.

The decision-making in the final third wasn’t as good as we would have liked, but to get three points at this stage of the season is really pleasing. But there were some very good passages of play, and the possession was good. We couldn’t get more goals, but it was a great three points.

On Jaydon Banel’s Stunning Solo Strike

That’s two goals now he’s scored in the past couple of games, so we’re delighted with him, the way he’s progressing, and he’s got to step up.

We haven’t got many other players available in those areas, and we’ve been talking to him about his game and where we want him to improve and what to do. I was very pleased with his all-round performance.

On Sam Szmodics’ Selfless Running to Prevent Oxford from Levelling

Football’s about going forward - and defending. Sam is really frustrated that he’s not been able to score at Pride Park. It’s something he desperately wants to do, and he might be trying a bit too hard. But what he will give you is that energy and work rate. I thought his all-around game was good today.

There's still a lot more to come from him, I know there is -and we need that in the next three games, but it just shows that his attitude's there. He wants to do well for the football club, he wants to do well for his teammates, and he made sure that we kept a clean sheet today.

On Jacob Widell Zetterström’s Return from Injury

Jacob has had a week's training, and we want to get him back in the team as quickly as we can. Richard O’Donnell’s done a magnificent job while he's been away and while Josh Vickers has been away.

In Jacob, we’ve got a top, top-performing goalkeeper there, and I don't think he had that much to do today. But what he did, he looked calm. We're absolutely delighted that he's back involved with us now. It's one to add to the squad rather than losing one, which is a nice change.

On the Sixth Successive Home League Victory at Pride Park

It’s all about time; understanding how we want to play and getting the players in the right positions and giving them the confidence to really embrace it. Playing at Pride Park isn’t easy. 30,000 fans, expecting to win and a certain brand of football.

We want to bring this to the fans. We want to bring it to the football club, of course, we do, and it’s something we have to keep building upon. I know the home results and performances weren’t what we wanted at the start, but you can see the progression we’ve made this season in all areas, and I’m just delighted to get another win for the fans today.

Sam Szmodics also spoke RamsTV after the 1-0 victory on home soil.

On a Well-fought Contest

Tough game, tough opponent. I think they've only lost two in the last ten, the boss just said. It was a bit of a scrappy game, but at the end of the season, you just need to get wins, and it's an important win for us.

On Jaydon Banel’s Winner

I started it off - it came off my foot - I’m going to say that right now! But he’s taken it from our box to theirs.

If he doesn't score, I think a couple of us would have been a bit frustrated. But no, it was a great finish, and we've done well to hold out and get the win.

On Racing Back to Prevent a Goalscoring Opportunity

We work so hard to stop goals, and I'm an attacking player, but if I've got to do a job to get back and stop one at the other end, I will. It's probably the fastest I've run all game.

There was a bit of frustration because you want to score as many goals as you can at home. One-nil is not a nice scoreline because it gets a bit touchy towards the end. We had loads of chances, I had a few myself.

But we've got that confidence in front of the goal. We just need a couple more to drop, but I'm delighted with the three points.

On Maintaining Belief and Play-offs Ambition

Since I've arrived, the belief's been there, and the play-offs have been all we've spoken about. But we just need to take every game as it comes.

It's a tough game on Tuesday night. It's quite nice that we've had the kick-off at 12:30. We've got the three points, so the pressure's on other teams that have seen that we've won.

On How Much He Has Enjoyed His Time at Pride Park

I absolutely love it. The lads, the management, and the staff absolutely love it. Hopefully, there's more than three games left - because we'll get into the playoffs and then see what happens in the summer. I'm thoroughly enjoying it.