'Let's enjoy the ride' - Eustace targets strong finish
[Getty Images] Derby County head coach John Eustace expects "more growth" from his side as they try to end the season on a high and secure a play-off spot. The Rams are eighth in the Championship, three points off the play-offs, but face a testing Easter weekend with a trip to league leaders Coventry on Friday (20:00 BST) before they host Stoke City on Monday. Eustace says he would have snapped your hand off to be in this position after a tough start to the campaign, but is keen not to go up another level for the run-in.
"Really proud of the effort of the whole football club to get to this stage," Eustace said. "To be in this position with seven games to go is a fantastic achievement, but we want to keep going and see how high we can finish. "If you take the first 10 games out we'd be in a much stronger position.
There's still a lot more growth to come from this group so let's enjoy the ride and keep going. "We're playing two top teams and I'm sure it'll be a great atmosphere in both games. " Eustace also provided an update on his squad before the double header.
Sam Szmodics is unavailable for both games as he recovers from the concussion sustained on international duty , while forward Rhian Brewster is a doubt after picking up a knock in his most recent outing. Meanwhile, Patrick Agyemang and Ben Brereton Diaz are both available after impressing on international duty for the United States and Chile, respectively. "He's great now," Eustace said of Szmodics.
"He's been going through all the protocols he has to. "He's ticking all the right boxes, unfortunately he can't play on Friday or Monday, which is a huge blow to us. The most important thing is he's healthy and he's getting better.