After securing a late 1-0 win against Stevenage last weekend, Paul Warne has explained what pleased him about the manner of the result.
Derby County are in the thick of an intense promotion battle at the top of League One. On Saturday they face Barnsley, a side six points and two places behind them in the table.
Paul Warne has revealed he’ll have Dwight Gayle and Corey Blackett-Taylor to select from as they look to build on their narrow victory over Stevenage.
The Rams didn’t perform to their usual standard throughout and sorely missed the impact of top scorer James Collins.
Derby instead had to rely on Louie Sibley to score the winner from the bench in the 90th minute, sparking scenes of jubilation in the stands that spilt onto the sidelines as Warne was delighted with the win.
He knew his side didn’t play well and was perhaps resigned to dropping two points, but the hosts dug in to secure the maximum three.
The majority of supporters, if not all, would agree that nothing can beat winning the game in that manner.
And that is a sentiment echoed by the manager.
Paul Warne prefers the manner of that victory above all
After the match, Warne described that as his favourite ever Derby win, but perhaps more surprisingly, he says he prefers to watch his side scrap out a 1-0 win instead of wiping the floor with an opponent.
Speaking to Rams TV, he said: “I like adversity. For me as a manager, winning 4-0 and wiping the grass with someone isn’t as enjoyable as an absolute dogged 1-0 late goal. Everyone in the stadium felt like they wanted the team to win and help the team and that’s what I liked.
“If we do go up or even if we do make really good memories, everyone plays a part in it and the home crowd play a massive part.”
Understandably, Warne prefers the intensity of a narrow 1-0 win over thrashing an opponent as it brings out more emotions.
Derby had to work extremely hard to secure three points in that matter while walking all over a team doesn’t bring the same satisfaction, although it does help.
He also touched on how much the home crowd helped in galvanising his side to victory and the Rams will need more of that if they are to secure promotion this season.
Home advantage is so important
After playing Barnsley on Saturday, Derby embark on a run of six games in the space of a month and in four of those matches they have home advantage, and that could be crucial.
The power that Pride Park holds is there for all to see. Warne’s side are fourth in the form table but have only lost one of their last eight matches on home soil.
In their next six, the most pivotal of those fixtures could be the home match against Bolton Wanderers who they are fighting alongside for automatic promotion.
By the time they play them on March 16th, Derby will want to be in a similar position, if not in a more prominent one, in their pursuit of promotion.