Derby County defender reflects on the Rams’ form, support for Josh Vickers and clash with Cambridge United

Derby County currently sit ninth after eight games with four wins, one draw and a loss. Recent form has taken an upturn however and there is some optimism surrounding Paul Warne’s side.

The Rams have won two games in a row with a 2-0 win over Lincoln in the EFL Trophy and another 2-0 win against Carlisle in League One.

They find themseleves just three points off the playoff places.

On Saturday, they face Cambridge United who are on the same points tally as the Rams, so it is expected to be a close affair.

Derby County defender Eiran Cashin believes that the Rams are on the up and are slowly getting to where they want to be.

Speaking on the two recent wins, Cashin: “We’re delighted, really. I think they are the building blocks we need to push on. Clean-sheets are always important and to get two in a row now is massive. Hopefully we can build on that and get a run going.

“There are things we can get better at but good teams sometimes might not play the best and still get results and keep clean-sheets. Fingers crossed we can build on that and start performing really well. When you get a run together, everything is possible.”

Despite the good form, the Rams have struggled to string good results together, especially at home.

However, with a busy October period ahead, Cashin is confident that Derby can gain some consistency and start to hold their good form. He said: “Recovery and everything around that is massive so hopefully we get a win on Saturday and then we need to focus on doing the right things off the pitch as well as on it to make sure we have the right numbers and energy to keep going.

“Hopefully it can be a really good period for us,” he told Rams TV.

“We know we’ve had a tough start at home but the fans are getting behind us and those last two wins have been massive so hopefully we can make it a third on Saturday.”

Cashin has been developing a strong partnership with new centre back Curtis Nelson. He joined in the summer as a free agent and has slowly become of the most reliable members of the starting XI. Cashin said: “He’s very good at communicating and I’ll often ask for advice, but it goes both ways.

“I’ll tell him what I want from him in a game and he’ll do the same for me. That’s an important thing when it comes to building a good bond and partnership together.”

The Rams players paid a tribute to goalkeeper Josh Vickers at the weekend. Vickers recently lost his wife of just three weeks to cancer and the Derby players held up his shirt after they scored both goals against Carlisle last Saturday in order to show thier support. Cashin reflected on his team’s tribute, he said: “It’s been a tough one to take. We love Josh and we knew the circumstances but when we found the news it was heart-breaking for us all.

“Straight away we just wanted to be there for Josh and show our support. The gaffer has been really good, explaining the situation and what we can do to try and help him. Hopefully we can show him the love that he needs right now.

“We are heartbroken for him but we just want to show the love and support for him. Even the fans, some of the things on social media with the fans getting behind him has been really touching.”