"It was really frustrating": £300k winger opens up on slow start since joining Derby County

It is fair to say that Corey Blackett-Taylor’s time at Derby County didn’t get off to a brilliant start.

The £300,000 fee that Derby paid for the former Charlton man meant that he came with a lot of expectation to make an instant impact in the Rams’ chase for promotion.

The 26 year-old was having a fantastic season for the Addicks before Paul Warne enticed him to make the move to Pride Park. He had scored eight goals and recoreded six assists in 25 appearances.

However since moving to Derby, Blackett-Taylor has yet to score in 10 appearances and hasn’t looked like the winger that the Rams paid for.

Saying that, in the last two games, the 26 year-old has looked a lot better; he was one of the best players on the pitch against Portsmouth in Derby’s last game and so will be hoping that he has finally turned a corner.

Speaking to Rams TV, he said: “It was hard for me to get going but I think now, even just by being more settled, I've started to show what I'm about.

“It was very frustrating and I felt like, because I was doing well at Charlton in the first half of the season, I was going to come into the squad with some momentum.

“I wanted to show what I could do straight away but it didn't really go like that. Now I feel I can really show what I'm about.”

Blackett-Taylor played a big part in the excellent performance that the Rams put out against Portsmouth. Paul Warne had set the team up to counter-attack their promotion rivals which seemed to work brilliantly.

The winger was somewhat of a focal point in those counter-attacks as he has pace and quality to play the right ball. He assisted Derby’s first goal which was scored by Joe Ward in a lovely move by the Rams.

He added: “The only thing that could have topped that game off for me was if I'd scored. I was still happy with my overall performance. I felt I showed what I'm about and that's how I like to play and what I want to bring to the team.

With four games to go, the Rams are in a great spot to go for promotion. They sit in second place and with a win against Wycombe, would take a four point lead over nearest rivals Bolton Wanderers.

Many fans will be feeling the nerves, but Blackett-Taylor says that it is more of an excitement for him.

He said: “I can only really speak for myself, but I don't really feel the pressure, I feel more up for it and I can't wait to play and attack the matches.

“Everyone is relaxed and calm and looking at each match as just another game. Everyone knows how good we are and what we've got and we feel like, if we have the right mindset, we can get the job done.”