Derby head coach John Eustace spotted signs of encouragement as his team boosted their survival hopes with a 2-1 win over his former club Blackburn.
Eustace is convinced his players have the heart to avoid relegation after his first win since he left Ewood Park last month lifted Derby off the bottom of the Championship.
He said: “I thought before the game the team was in a very good place and I can see the group growing. I think they are starting to believe in each other more and more.
“The most important thing is you can see the effort of the group. Where we might lack a little bit of quality at times, we give back with endeavour and effort.
“I was really proud with the effort of the group, the lads were outstanding today. We’ve had a very difficult week with injuries but the way the lads went about their business was something I’m very proud of.
“I thought the stadium was electric, it was rocking. Both sets of fans were great and the way the Derby fans got behind the boys was great, they pulled the ball into the net for those first two goals and certainly kept the ball away from the net in the second half!”
But there was also bad news as Eustace revealed Norwegian striker Lars Jorgen Salvesen has undergone surgery on a knee injury and will miss the rest of the season.
Derby had not won since Boxing Day but they flew out of the traps and were two up inside seven minutes.
Craig Forsyth reacted sharply to turn the ball in at the back post after a free-kick was headed on and Ebou Adams pounced on a loose ball when Blackburn failed to deal with a low cross.
Rovers responded and after Jacob Widell Zetterstrom denied Yuki Ohashi, they reduced the arrears five minutes before the break. Tyrhys Dolan pulled the ball and Ohashi found Makhtar Gueye who smashed a shot into the roof of the net.
Blackburn dominated possession for long periods in the second half but Derby defended resolutely and could have added a third goal in the 84th minute through Jerry Yates.
Blackburn head coach Valerien Ismael said: “The players are really disappointed, they wanted more, maybe they wanted it too much and we lost the game in the first seven minutes.
“We knew exactly what we would face, everything was set but the first seven minutes were very difficult to manage. We changed the shape and after that it was much better, we had more control.
“The goal gave us momentum for the second half and we were in control but we were not very dangerous and I expected more crosses, more penetration and shots on target. It’s something we need to work on and learn from.
“It’s a learning process for the players, if you want to fight and compete for something then you have to be ready from the first to the last minute.”
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