Derby County midfielder Conor Hourihane has praised fellow midfielder Tyrese Fornah for his assist for the Rams second goal in their 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers.
The Rams claimed their third league win in a row on Saturday afternoon, with Jack Hunt putting the ball in the back of his own net to give Derby the lead midway through the second half.
Former Rams player Chris Martin then equalised in the 87th minute to give the Gas what looked to be a solid point away from home.
But Fornah teed up the in-form Nathaniel Mendez-Laing to score his fifth goal in his last six games and give Derby all three points, now pushing them into a play-off position.
Hourihane praises teammate
Speaking to the club website following the win, Hourihane explained how ‘key’ Fornah’s play was to getting the winner.
“We had to show some calm heads to stay in and around it. We had to do the things that look small but can turn into something massive.
“Credit to Tyrese Fornah, he got in and around it and got the break of the ball at a key time in the game and set up Nat to win it. We’re delighted and it shows character. Credit to everyone, it’s a big win and it creates that buzz.”
Fornah will look to build off this performance
The defensive midfielder made the move to Pride Park in the summer from fierce rivals and Premier League side Nottingham Forest, signing a two-year deal.
So far this season for Paul Warne’s side Fornah has made ten appearances in League One this season and has been used as more of a rotation player, only starting seven of those games.
Fornah has not started a game since the 1-0 defeat to Shrewsbury at the end of last month and has only featured once since then before his appearance off the bench on Saturday, coming off the bench in the 4-0 win over Northampton Town.
He will be hoping his performance on Saturday afternoon will help him force his way back into Derby’s starting line up.