Derby County defender reflects on Rams' "strong position" heading into Lincoln City game

Derby County, sitting in third place, make the trip to a faltering Lincoln City side this weekend as they have the chance to go to the top of League One.

The Rams are just one point behind league leaders Portsmouth after they have gone a stretch of 12 games with 10 of those being wins.

Paul Warne's side are one of the hottest teams in the EFL and they will be hopeful to continue their good form at Lincoln on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, defender Curtis Nelson spoke to Rams TV, firstly about his side's 3-2 win against Burton Albion on Monday night.

He said: "Its obviously a massive win for us so its good to get the three points and go into the next game.

"We showed great character, it’s kind of cliché to say but we never stopped going for that third goal and obviously we made it difficult for ourselves by conceding two which is very disappointing.

"But we got the result in the end and that’s all that matters."

Derby managed to salvage the three points with a late winner coming from captain Conor Hourihane in added time. Nelson says that it was important for them to have bounced back from the midweek cup defeat to Bradford City with a win.

He added: "We didn’t want to go back to back defeats, I don’t think we’ve done that all season so getting back to winning ways is important, getting the three points whenever we need them."

Nelson, 30, has played in every minute of League One so far this season, something that he has prided himself on. The centre back says it's simply making sure he keeps fit and ready to play. He said: "My body is feeling good, I’m happy to be playing every minute and I’m just keeping my fitness where it needs to be.

"I’ve been around it long enough now to know what I need to do to get my body ready for a Saturday."

The Rams find themselves in an excellent position going into the last 20 games of the season with a possible promotion place right in their grasp.

Nelson says that it's a case of win again and again, he said: "It’s a strong position to be in but its not the most comfortable because you want to be clear. We know where we want to be come the end of the season. It could be a high points total because we keep winning and everyone around us keeps winning."

This weekend they face 12th placed Lincoln City who have not won in seven games, desperate for some points, the Imps could prove to be tricky hosts to a Derby side looking to make it three wins in a row.

Nelson added: "They’ll have a game plan to stop us so it'll be an interesting game and we'll do what we can to win."

He said that the away fans are a crucial part of the Rams' success on the road: "The away fans are nuts, they do enjoy it, they always turn up and they always make a lot of noise so its brilliant."

Derby County vs Lincoln City kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 20 January.