‘It’s About Character, It’s About Desire’ – Derby Given Run-in Message By Ex-Ram | OneFootball

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Former Derby County star Shaun Barker has indicated that, with two games left and the Rams sitting four points off the Championship playoff places, the defining factor now is character.

The Rams made the trip to Carrow Road on Tuesday, but slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Norwich City, a result that dented their hopes of a playoff push, leaving them eighth in the standings on 66 points, four adrift of sixth and seventh-placed Wrexham and Hull City, who sit on 70 points, respectively.

Momentum had swung in John Eustace’s favour late in February, with victory over Blackburn Rovers sparking a run of six wins from nine, yet the setback against Norwich City has now left their slim playoff hopes out of their own hands, requiring favours elsewhere.

With two matches remaining, the Rams face a trip to QPR this weekend before closing their campaign at Pride Park against Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United on 2nd May.

Derby will be without key figures for the run-in, as their top league scorer Patrick Agyemang is set to miss out with a season-ending injury that has crushed his hopes of featuring at a home World Cup, leaving him devastated.

Alongside the American attacker, Rhian Brewster and Red Bull Salzburg loanee Bobby Clark, who recently earned praise for his development, are also sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Barker conceded that the Rams’ season has been defined by inconsistency and disruption, with injuries and fluctuating form stalling any sustained push towards the top six.

With just two matches left to play, the 43-year-old emphasised that the focus lies on securing results by any means, with outcomes hinging on the team’s character and desire alongside individual battles.

“It’s about players stepping up, players that aren’t in the squad coming in.

“We’ve had injury issues throughout the whole season, we’ve had disruption.

“We’ve had players hitting form at different times.

“It hasn’t really been consistent from the start of the season, with everything falling in our place, absolutely.

“And that’s affected the whole season, and it’s affected us, probably kind of struggling to get consistently in that top six.

“So yes, it has.

“At this stage of the season, it’s just about what you do.

“It’s just about man for man in the games.

“It’s about character, it’s about desire.

Neither Wrexham nor Hull City face a straightforward run-in, with the Red Dragons set to meet already promoted Coventry City and fifth-placed Middlesbrough.

Hull, meanwhile, take on Charlton Athletic at the Valley, with the Addicks desperate for a positive result to steer clear of a relegation scare, before closing against a Norwich side that have lost just two of their last ten league outings.

The battle at the top looks set to go right down to the wire and it remains to be seen which of the contenders will earn a shot at Premier League football next season.