Central defender Damien Delaney says there’s a “renewed vigour” in the Town squad since Paul Jewell took over as manager. The Irishman says he felt in little doubt that the Blues could overturn the one-goal deficit after Derby went ahead at Pride Park on Tuesday.
Delaney said: "Maybe it’s the change of manager, I don’t know what it is, but there definitely seems to be a bit of belief growing in the squad, a renewed vigour I suppose.
"The most pleasing thing as that we’re coming from behind. It’s been a long time, I’d like to look back at our fixtures because I can’t remember a time when we’ve come from behind and we’ve done it twice in two games on the spin. That’s the most pleasing thing — the belief that’s in the team at the moment.”
The centre-half says there was never any panic after the Rams went in front in the seventh minute on Tuesday: "You could just feel it as soon as Derby scored. I know it was early, but as soon as it went in I looked around me and everyone just looked as if it wasn’t a problem, that it wasn’t the end of the world and that we had 80-odd minutes to get back in it.
"The belief the manager’s brought to the camp and feeling that’s in it, I just felt calm, whereas before when we conceding you’d think we were going to struggle.
"But there was a good feeling about the place, we never panicked, we kept doing what the management were telling us to do and eventually it came good.
"It was a great strike from Jimmy for the goal, that definitely helped, getting back on terms. In the second half as soon as Chuck scored I knew we were going to win, and that’s a good feeling to have.”
The 29-year-old says Jimmy Bullard is living up to his reputation, while he expects Town’s other new addition Andy Drury to be a useful acquisition: "Jimmy’s brilliant. He’s settled right in. It took him a while to come out of his shell. Took him about an hour before he was off and running!
"Andy’s registration came through late so he wasn’t involved on Tuesday, but from what I hear from people, he’s a good prospect and he can do nothing but help us.”
Can Town still make the play-offs? The former Leicester and Hull man says it’s a big ask: "You’d have to go on a helluva run. Are we capable of it? Maybe. Is the squad deep enough for a play-off push, because come March there’ll be injuries and suspensions.
"It’s not the deepest squad in the world. It’s a very good team, but whether the strength in depth is there, I don’t know. But that might change over the next few weeks if the gaffer gets a few players in on loan. I don’t see why not.”
On a personal level, Delaney is to be glad to be back playing again on a regular basis having suffered a career-threatening injury in pre-season and then having been in and out of the side: "It’s important for any player to get four or five games to get your match legs and get fully fit. The first half of the season was a bit stop-start for me with being injured and various other problems, so I needed to get a run of games under my belt.”
A son of Cork like Roy Keane, the defender insists that, contrary to rumour, he had no problem with the club’s former boss: "I didn't have an issue with him, you saw how the old manager worked in terms of the teams he picked. He did like to chop and change - he liked to change his squads often and he liked to change his team.
"I think throughout the squad every player had a spell where they were sitting on the sidelines, but you just have to take it on the chin and get on with it.
"We never really spoke, to be honest, but that wasn’t just me, that was just the way he managed, the way he did things.
"But that’s all gone and I’m more than happy working with the new manager and looking forward to finishing the season strongly.
"It’s been the most interrupted season of my career. I’ve found it hard to string four or five games together and that’s what I want to do between now and the end of the year.”