Pressure builds in the battle to avoid the drop

DERBY County remain masters of their own destiny, despite their run of seven games without a win.

The Rams are one of six teams battling it our for survival in the Championship, eight if you include Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest, who sit only two points above Derby.

Derby are on 40 points and they have eight games remaining following Saturday’s defeat by Stoke City.

They are five points above the bottom three, although third-bottom Rotherham United have four games in hand.

Here’s what the managers of clubs in the relegation scrap said after the weekend games:

■■Mark Robins after Coventry City’s goalless draw against Wycombe Wanderers:

Asked about results elsewhere at the weekend, when Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday both won, Robins said: “It doesn’t matter.

“I said on Friday that if we don’t deal with it ourselves then we don’t deserve to be in the division. It’s as simple as that.”

■■Lee Bowyer after Birmingham City’s 3-0 defeat at Watford:

“I don’t think it was a 3-0 game,” he said.

“They started better than us, they kept getting through our press first 10-15 minutes, they got the early goal but then we changed shape and I thought we matched them and at times we looked the more likely team to score next.

“They got some good blocks in front of goal and defended well, we moved it well at times and created chances.

“Even after the second one I thought we were on the front foot, We kept moving the ball and creating problems but that quality – Watford were more clinical.

“I think attempts we had more, for us to have more attempts at their ground, that showed we had a go but they took their chances better than us and that’s what happens in football.

“We will learn from it, these aren’t the games that will keep us in this division. We got a good win on Wednesday and [today] a good performance, ignoring the scoreline, I thought the performance was positive.”

■■Assistant manager Richie Barker on Rotherham United’s 2-0 win at Bristol City:

“I’ve told the players after the game that a lot of the other clubs battling to stay up will look at our result and wonder how it happened,” he told The Star.

“They will be surprised. Only time will tell whether having so many games in hand will prove positive for us but there is so much still to play for.”

■■Darren Moore on Sheffield Wednesday’s 2-1 win at in-form Barnsley:

“I am really pleased for everybody at the football club to get the three much-needed points,” he said.

“We wanted to finish the week strongly and I thought we did that. We knew we had to be strong and resolute and dependable and accountable, and I think the players showed that today.

“I thought at times in a frantic match, we put our foot on the ball and linked a few passes together and when we did get it at the far end of the pitch, Jordan Rhodes did what he does best and puts it in the back of the net, so I was really pleased.

“There has been a slow improvement.

“It was good to see the players apply themselves right. We get two weeks to work. We can get some real good sessions in.”

■■Wycombe Wanderers’ boss Gareth Ainsworth remains resolute after Saturday’s goalless draw at Coventry:

“It’s not over yet, no chance, we are still going to be battling hard and who says we can’t win every game we’ve got left? These things do happen,” Ainsworth said.

“It’s still very open and it’s going to be tight, and I believe it will be tighter than it is now come the end of the season.

“How tight is going to be down to the boys and how we can keep competing.”