Derby County captain on "really good" Paul Warne message and League One promotion

Derby County go into the final game of the season just one point away from promotion to the Championship.

The Rams will look to cap of a record breaking year by making it back to the second tier after two seasons in League One following their period in administration.

Derby boss Paul Warne has relied on a number of players in the dressing room to create the winning culture that the current crop of players have.

None more so than his captain, former Aston Villa and Barnsley midfielder Conor Hourihane.

Speaking to TalkSport’s EFL All Access podcast, the Rams captain praised the Derby boss for his messages to the players during the pressure packed run-in.

He said: “He’s [Paul Warne] been realy good, we played Wycombe away four games ago give or take, we ended up drawing the game and were a bit all over the place.

“Since then the message has been to relax and calm down on the pitch in the last four or five games. The lads have really taken on that message and its been really clear over those four or five games, hopefully that’ll be the case on Saturday because we know there’s going to be pressure on it.”

Derby picked up a clean sheet last weekend during their win over Cambridge United. It has put the Rams on the brink of promotion and the captain believes that his side’s defensive ability has been crucial to their success.

“You need clean sheets in any promotion winning team,” he said, “the lads at the back have been fantastic over the course of the season, putting their bodies on the line, they are in a really good place.”

In recent weeks, Hourihane has been making less and less appearances for Derby. The captain has spent much of the last couple of months sitting on the bench rather than in the starting XI.

However, his role behind the scenes has been paramount to the Rams’ success. He added: “There’s a big emphasis on a couple of the older lads like me who have had promotion experience in their careers to give the younger lads that little bit of confidence and making them feel as best they can going into every game.

“We’ve got some younger lads that are flourishing but have maybe not been through this scenario before, so there’s been a big responsibility for the older lads.

“To get any promotion at this stage in my career would be absolutely terrific. It was a huge goal when I came here.

“Derby were in a tough place and the whole challenge excited me, it would be amazing to be a part of something to get the club back to the Championship.”

If Hourihane and the Rams earn just a draw against Carlisle on Saturday, they will secure the club’s first promotion since 2007, a big moment for Derby that the Irishman is just desperate to achieve.