The Rams ace thinks a “scrappy 1-0 win” at Villa Park could reignite their Championship playoff hopes.
Derby County forward Martyn Waghorn has spoken out after his side’s deflating Championship derby loss to Nottingham Forest, urging for composure and looking ahead to this Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa.
The Rams’ form has taken a dip in recent weeks, with bad results such as draws with Preston North End and Ipswich Town, while before the 1-0 loss to the Reds, they had also been beaten by Millwall, but they’re still two points off the playoffs and very much in the promotion hunt.
At the City Ground, the East Midlands derby was settled by Yohan Benalouane’s close-range drive after just over a minute played, the Rams failing to clear Joe Lolley’s in-swinging free kick, and the Reds managed to hold firm as their bitter rivals struggled to provide much of a threat.
Despite the loss, Waghorn – who himself spurned a great opportunity when one-on-one with the Forest keeper, only to chip his effort wide – is adamant that things change quickly in the Championship and is hoping for a kickstart to their promotion hopes at Villa Park.
“We’ve got a great fixture this weekend, which we’re all looking forward to,” Waghorn told the Derby Telegraph. “And what better place than Villa Park to start turning it around.
“We believe in ourselves, everyone believes in each other. We’ve got to dig deep, keep going and it might just take a scrappy 1-0 win to get us going. We’ve got to believe that.”
Derby’s most recent win was the 2-0 victory over Hull City at Pride Park on February 9, in which Waghorn scored both goals.
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