Derby County centre-back Eiran Cashin has been instrumental in the Rams’ promotion charge, and he’s now explained what sets them apart from their rivals.
After Bolton Wanderers and Barnsley played out a draw on Tuesday night, Derby slipped down to third in the table, but they are still a point from second.
Paul Warne’s side are hotly contesting promotion back to the Championship at the second time of asking and Eiran Cashin is a huge reason why they are in a prominent position.
Cashin very nearly departed for Premier League side Brighton in the summer, however, a deal fell through and he remained at Pride Park.
The 22-year-old has since been sensational in defence and his form rewarded him with a new three-year deal in February.
He has started in 33 of their 36 League One games this term, forming a strong partnership with Curtis Nelson in the heart of defence.
As Derby approach the promotion run-in, they will need their star defender to continue putting in monstrous performances defensively.
At this stage, it’s anyone’s guess who finishes in the top 2 with five points separating second to fifth, however, Cashin is confident that Derby have the edge over their promotion rivals.
Eiran Cashin believes Derby County have an edge in promotion race
In a recent interview, the Republic of Ireland defender touched on all of the top eight teams in the division boasting quality, but he doesn’t believe they can match the mentality and mindset of his side.
“There is a real culture of togetherness here,” Cashin told the Derby Telegraph. “He was saying recently that there’s not much between the top eight teams in the league.
“They all have quality, but what others don’t have is a mentality and that mindset in that every time we’re on the pitch, we’re going to run harder and outbattle them. And I think that’s something that will hopefully separate us from other teams. In my view, that’s what perhaps separates this team from other teams that I played in in the past.”
Derby are reaching the stage of the season where the result is the only thing that matters in their quest for promotion.
The Rams just need to do everything in their power to get three points, regardless of how they play, and that is a mindset shared by Cashin, who believes his side will outrun and outbattle their opponents.
With fixtures to come against Bolton Wanderers and Portsmouth, it could boil down to who is willing to put in the hard yards and conjure up a telling piece of quality.
Luckily, to go with their battling attitude, Derby have top scorer James Collins to call upon at the end of March while Dwight Gayle will be aiming to follow up his goal against Port Vale with a few more between now and the end of the season.