Lewis Travis admits Derby County ‘need to do more’ after poor start to the season continues

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Derby County’s frustrations grew on Saturday afternoon after a poor first half allowed Preston North End to take a 1-0 victory at Pride Park.

Alfie Devine’s spectacular effort in the 29th minute was enough to gift the Lilywhites a rare away victory, although his shot did look to take a slight deflection before finding its way into the top corner out of reach of Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

John Eustace was pleased with Patrick Agyemang after the USA international came off the bench at half-time, and a stronger second half saw the Rams come close to finding an equaliser, but ultimately they were defeated.

It was a tough afternoon for Derby, and their new captain Lewis Travis was keen to tell supporters that both himself and the rest of the team will improve quickly.

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Lewis Travis makes honest admission about his performance after Derby County defeat

The Rams ended Saturday evening in 21st place in the Championship, and the threat of the relegation zone will already feel very real following Sheffield Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth.

However, Travis has recognised that performance levels must be better and improvements should be expected in the coming weeks.

He said (via: BBC Sport Derby): “I know I need to do more; a lot of the lads need to do more. They all know that, it’s an honest group of players. We just need to have that belief. You see in the second half, we took the game to them.

“We need to be believing that we are playing Preston at home and we need to take the game to them. We are a much better side than them, in my opinion. We just need to have a lot more belief in and out of possession.”

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John Eustace needs to stick with a 4-2-3-1 at home

Derby went into the match playing a 3-4-2-1 formation and were far too defensive, offering Preston too much time in possession and perhaps even too much respect.

The Lilywhites looked like the home side at Pride Park, and they played with a confidence that they lacked throughout last season.

However, at half-time, Eustace made the switch to a 4-2-3-1, bringing Agyemang on for Callum Elder and instantly the Rams were a lot more positive. The ball started to go forward on a consistent basis after a first half of backwards and sideways passing.

It’s clear to see that Derby are a better side when the ball is on the floor and this helps bring Carlton Morris into the game more. These are learning curves and Travis will be looking to lead his side to victory next weekend against Wrexham.