"I thought first half we were excellent and in the second half we just ran out of legs. The second goal we conceded was so soft and it was really disappointing the manner we conceded from the free-kick," he said.
"Southampton are obviously a top team with top players but with the way the boys performed today, I was very proud of the efforts. We just couldn't see it over the line.
"We need to keep doing what we have been doing in the final four games. I'm disappointed to lose the game today and we will talk about all the other stuff [injuries to Clark and Murkin] another day.
When asked if he feels it is possible for Derby to still reach the play-offs, he added: "Of course it is. Anything can happen in football. We will just keep going and do what we do.
"We lost the game to a soft goal, came to a top team with a top team and we have to really believe that we can see it through now."
EFL confirms fixture release datepublished at 14:38 BST 10 April
14:38 BST 10 April
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
The 2026-27 EFL season will kick-off on August 7 with the opening round of the Carabao Cup
The EFL has announced the fixtures for the 2026-27 season will be published at midday on Thursday, 25 June.
The first-round draws for the Carabao Cup and the Vertu Trophy will be made on the same day.
The new season will kick off on the weekend of August 7-9 with the first round of the Carabao Cup, and the opening fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two will follow a week later on 14-16 August.
The first round of the Vertu Trophy will be played in the week commencing 21 September.
Millwall's Coburn wins March awardpublished at 08:09 BST 10 April
08:09 BST 10 April
Image source, EFL
Image caption,
Josh Coburn joined Millwall from Middlesbrough in July 2025
Millwall striker Josh Coburn has been named the Championship's player of the month for March.
The 23-year-old scored three goals last month as the Lions won two, drew one and lost one of their four matches.
Coburn scored the winning goal against Derby and an important equaliser at promotion rivals Ipswich with his tally for the season currently standing at nine.
It is the second successive month a Millwall player has won the award with winger Femi Azeez taking the February prize.
West Brom defender George Campbell, Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz and Derby defender Matt Clarke were also nominated.
Millwall visit West Brom on Friday night (20:00 BST).
Agyemang out for nine months with Achilles injurypublished at 15:58 BST 9 April
15:58 BST 9 April
Image source, Getty Images
Derby County forward Patrick Agyemang will be sidelined for "about nine months" with his Achilles injury, boss John Eustace has confirmed.
The US international picked up the serious injury following an awkward landing during Derby's victory against Stoke City on Monday but the club were hesitant to offer a timeline on his recovery.
The injury also ends the American's dreams of starring for his country at a home World Cup, which is set to take place in the US, Canada and Mexico this summer.
"He's obviously devastated to be missing the World Cup," Eustace told BBC Radio Derby.
"Patrick has been a real focal point for us. His development this year has been outstanding and it's going to be a huge blow to us first and foremost for him not to finish the season.
"To miss the World Cup, he's worked his socks off to get into that squad and I think he was very close."
Agyemang's season has ended at a pivotal time for the Rams, who are still in the running for a play-off position.
But while the forward may be a huge loss, Derby still have players in top form - including on-loan midfielder Bobby Clark, who the side are keen to sign permanently from Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg this summer.
"We certainly hope so, why not?" Eustace added. "We want to grow the football club and we want keep as many of our top players as we can and Bobby is certainly one of them.
"Everyone connected with Derby can see how well he's done and how he's part of the family and we'd love to continue his development."
Derby next face promotion rivals Southampton, who are just three points above them in sixth place, away at St Mary's on Saturday (15:00 BST).
How do Rams cope without Agyemang and Brereton Diaz?published at 15:42 BST 9 April
15:42 BST 9 April
Amelia Warren Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
A huge game in the race for the play-offs takes place on Saturday afternoon, when Derby travel to the league's in-form side, Southampton.
Unfortunately for Derby, they will face arguably their toughest test between now and the end of the season without key players Patrick Agyemang, and Ben Brereton Diaz.
It is devastating news for a player who has been so influential for Derby throughout this campaign.
Brereton Diaz will also be unavailable due to Southampton being his parent club.
Two huge blows for Derby, which will no doubt have an effect on their attacking cutting edge.
In Agyemang, the Rams are going to miss having a player who is a focal point, and has the ability to make clever runs in behind. Something which you believe Derby would have looked to use to exploit the Saints' high defensive line.
With Brereton Diaz's absence, Derby will lose someone who possesses a lot of energy, and has an incredible work rate, pressing continuously throughout the 90 minutes.
In terms of replacements, Carlton Morris will provide that physicality and presence up front that the Rams will miss in Agyemang.
The experienced head of Morris will also be a key asset to Derby on Saturday, particularly in periods where they may need to slow the game down and relieve pressure.
Derby's number nine got back on the scoresheet on Monday, netting for the first time since returning from injury. With this you expect him to be full of confidence, and even hungrier to find the net again this weekend.
Sammie Szmodics could be back in contention for a starting spot, after he suffered a concussion on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
Szmodics would bring the ability to find space between the lines, and also look to get on the end of chances by utilising late runs into the box.
With him in the side, Derby will be more inclined to use quick passing combinations, much like they did for their impressive second goal against Stoke City on Monday, rather than crosses into the box that would enable physical aerial battles.
Jaydon Banel is perhaps the surprise package for Derby, and he could be the one to really make the difference at the weekend. He possesses bags of pace, a fearless attacking approach, and comes into the game off the back of scoring his first goal in English football.
Banel will replace Derby's natural width in the absence of both Brereton Diaz and Agyemang, whilst also allowing the Rams to have an out-ball, likely opening up good counter attacking opportunities and creating a threat in transitions.
The Rams have a good balance of experienced and exciting attacking options to step up and take their opportunities, in the absence of two players who have been really key to their success so far this season.
The upcoming challenge at St Mary's will undoubtedly be a tough one, but should the Rams be able to adapt and cope without their absentees, they could find a result that may be pivotal to whether they finish inside or outside the Championship play-off places come the end of the season.
Pick of the stats: Southampton v Derby County published at 10:43 BST 9 April
10:43 BST 9 April
Southampton are hoping for a sixth successive win in all competitions having reached the FA Cup semi-finals with a victory over Arsenal last weekend and won 5-1 at Wrexham on Tuesday to move into the Championship play-off places.
Derby have won as many games away as they have at home this season (9) but were beaten at Coventry on their last road trip.
Southampton have lost just one of their past 10 league games against Derby (W3 D6), going down 1-0 at home in February 2007.
This is Derby's first away league game against Southampton since February 2012, when they lost 4-0 under Nigel Clough.
Since Tonda Eckert's first game in charge of Southampton on 5 November, the Saints have picked up the most points (54) and scored the most goals (55) of any Championship side.
John Eustace has picked up 84 points in 55 Championship games with Derby County (W24 D12 L19), the fifth-most of any side since his first game in charge last February.
Finn Azaz has been involved in eight goals in his past 12 home league starts for Southampton (5 goals, 3 assists), including three in his last three (2 goals, 1 assist).
Eckert, Lampard, Morrison & Bloomfield up for MotMpublished at 09:40 BST 9 April
09:40 BST 9 April
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Matt Bloomfield, Tonda Eckert, James Morrison and Frank Lampard all had success in March
Oxford United's Matt Bloomfield, Tonda Eckert of Southampton, West Brom interim boss James Morrison and Coventry's Frank Lampard have all been nominated for the March Championship manager of the month award.
Bloomfield led Oxford to seven points from their four games last month to give them hope of avoiding relegation from the Championship, while Eckert's Southampton went unbeaten in March - and won at leaders Coventry.
Morrison was handed the task of lifting West Brom clear of the bottom three and took eight points from an unbeaten four-game run.
Coventry have continued their charge towards the Premier League, with Lampard overseeing three wins and just that one blemish in the defeat by Southampton.
Southampton goalkeeper Daniel Peretz and West Brom defender George Campbell are nominated for the player of the month award along with Millwall striker Josh Coburn and Derby defender Matt Clarke.
The winners of both awards will be announced on Friday morning.
Eustace reacts to Stoke win and Agyemang injurypublished at 18:29 BST 6 April
18:29 BST 6 April
Media caption,
John Eustace post-Stoke City (H)
Derby County head coach John Eustace spoke to BBC Radio Derby following Monday's 2-0 win against Stoke City.
"I thought it was an excellent performance today. The boys were top drawer from start to finish," he said.
"Obviously after Friday night and the effort they put in against the best team in the league [Coventry City] was outstanding, and to come away with nothing was really disappointing.
"We could easily have turned up today feeling a little sorry for ourselves, but the way the lads really stepped on and were on the front foot, the football we played today was outstanding."
On Patrick Agyemang's injury: "Pat's gone off and gone for a scan, so we will have to wait and see. We don't want to see any player going off on a stretcher, and we don't want to lose our best players, so let's see how long it will be."
Eustace says Derby must stop conceding 'sloppy goals'published at 22:49 BST 3 April
22:49 BST 3 April
Media caption,
John Eustace speaks to BBC Radio Derby after the Rams' 3-2 loss at Coventry
Derby County manager John Eustace claims the Rams must defend better after they narrowly lost a see-saw match 3-2 at Coventry City.
Ben Brereton Diaz twice levelled for promotion-chasing Derby before Jack Rudoni netted a late winner for Coventry and Eustace was unhappy with his side's defending for all three Sky Blues goals.
He told BBC Radio Derby: "I thought the whole team performance was very good.
"The three goals we conceded were really poor from our part and it's something, moving forward, we've got to stop doing, especially when we got to back to 2-2, I thought we could go and win it.
"We've conceded really sloppy goals, not doing the basics, tracking runners and not defending well enough.
"It's just not good enough. We could have a lot more points this season if we had done it for the whole 95 minutes and we spoke about that in the dressing room. But we still can't take away from the effort of the group today.
"You look at the players they're bringing on to make changes in that second half and we've still gone toe to toe with them.
"We're really disappointed we haven't won the game and the way we played in the first half was excellent."
'Let's enjoy the ride' - Eustace targets strong finishpublished at 18:16 BST 2 April
18:16 BST 2 April
Image source, Getty Images
Derby County head coach John Eustace expects "more growth" from his side as they try to end the season on a high and secure a play-off spot.
The Rams are eighth in the Championship, three points off the play-offs, but face a testing Easter weekend with a trip to league leaders Coventry on Friday (20:00 BST) before they host Stoke City on Monday.
Eustace says he would have snapped your hand off to be in this position after a tough start to the campaign, but is keen not to go up another level for the run-in.
"Really proud of the effort of the whole football club to get to this stage," Eustace said.
"To be in this position with seven games to go is a fantastic achievement, but we want to keep going and see how high we can finish.
"If you take the first 10 games out we'd be in a much stronger position. There's still a lot more growth to come from this group so let's enjoy the ride and keep going.
"We're playing two top teams and I'm sure it'll be a great atmosphere in both games."
Eustace also provided an update on his squad before the double header.
Sam Szmodics is unavailable for both games as he recovers from the concussion sustained on international duty, while forward Rhian Brewster is a doubt after picking up a knock in his most recent outing.
Meanwhile, Patrick Agyemang and Ben Brereton Diaz are both available after impressing on international duty for the United States and Chile, respectively.
"He's great now," Eustace said of Szmodics. "He's been going through all the protocols he has to.
"He's ticking all the right boxes, unfortunately he can't play on Friday or Monday, which is a huge blow to us. The most important thing is he's healthy and he's getting better.
"Patrick's worked his socks off this season and it's great that he scored. We want to help him get to the World Cup with the USA squad. He's making the right moves, he's just got to keep going.
"Rhian's being assessed. We'll have to wait and see, but he's making steady progress."
Championship clubs spend more than £69m on agents feespublished at 17:15 BST 1 April
17:15 BST 1 April
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Ipswich signed Sindre Walle Egeli for a club record £17.5m in January
Championship clubs spent just over £69.5m on agents fees over the past 12 months according to figures released by the Football Association,, external an increase of £6m on the previous year.
The figures cover the period from February 2025 with Ipswich Town the top spenders, paying £11.7m having spent the first three months of the accounting period in the Premier League.
Southampton (£8.3m) and Leicester (£5.8m), who were relegated alongside Ipswich are the second and third-highest payers on the list.
Troubled Sheffield Wednesday were the most frugal when dealing with agents, spending £534,559.
Wrexham come in sixth on the list with an outlay of £3.6m while current Championship leaders Coventry spent just short of £1.5m.
Pick of the stats: Coventry City v Derby Countypublished at 12:42 BST 1 April
12:42 BST 1 April
Image source, Opta
Championship leaders Coventry City could take another big step towards the Premier League when they host play-off hopefuls Derby County on Friday night (kick-off 20:00 BST).
The Sky Blues are nine points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough and 11 clear of Ipswich in third, albeit having played one game more than the Tractor Boys.
Frank Lampard's side have won seven of their past eight games (L1) and need 13 more points from their final seven matches to guarantee promotion.
The Rams are in impressive form themselves with four wins in their past five games and are three points behind the top six going into this round of fixtures.
Following their 5-3 win in August, Coventry are looking to complete the league double over Derby for the first time since 2003-04.
Derby won this exact fixture 2-1 last season, last winning consecutive away league games against Coventry in March/December 1988.
Coventry have won seven of their past eight league games. The exception in that run was their last home game against Southampton – the Sky Blues haven't lost consecutively at home since September 2024.
Derby have won nine away games in the Championship this season, last winning more on the road in a second tier campaign in 2013-14 (11).
Derby's Lars-Jørgen Salvesen is averaging a goal or an assist every 83 minutes in the Championship this season (3 goal, 2 assists in 416 minutes), the best rate of any player to play 400+ minutes.
How crucial will Agyemang be in promotion push?published at 09:40 BST 31 March
09:40 BST 31 March
Amelia Warren Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
One player who has particularly impressed this season in black and white is Patrick Agyemang.
Since arriving at Pride Park from Charlotte FC last summer, the American has netted 10 times, whilst also registering three assists.
Arguably, his most impressive performances have come from the left hand side, where he has played an inverted winger role and regularly bullied his way past opposition full-backs to get into the box and create chances.
With Carlton Morris' lengthy absence from the team earlier on in the season, Agyemang was also on hand to adapt to being the main 'number nine' for Derby, a role which he more than rose to the challenge of, and continues to flourish in.
It's fair to say Agyemang has probably been Derby's signing of the season. With most opposition fans commenting on his impressive performances against them throughout the campaign, and regularly expressing their desire to have a player like him in their team.
As is the case with most strikers though, Agyemang has recently suffered a dip in form, and is now seven games without a goal or assist for the Rams. A run which has left him visibly frustrated during matches.
This has been paired with some tough physical battles with opposing defenders, where often a lot of grappling and holding has resulted in him hitting the deck, or being illegally dispossessed, without referees consistently picking up on it. Adding to not only his frustrations, but supporters' too.
Despite this, he has had joy on international duty with the USA this week, scoring once in a 5-2 defeat by Belgium, in which he played 19 minutes from the bench.
For me this goal could kickstart a significant shift in his confidence and form, which could be a defining factor in the Rams' end to the season.
Going into the final seven matches of the campaign with something still to play for, fine margins are going to be where crucial games, and ultimately final table places, are decided. In these fine margin, high pressure moments, it's crucial that you have a confident striker in your side.
After a rocky run at club level, heading out on international duty and getting on the scoresheet will do Agyemang's confidence the world of good.
Should he come back to Derby and be able to replicate anything close to the kind of form he was in between 17 January and 14 February, where he scored four goals in six games, then he could have a huge say in whether Derby can creep into the play-off places.
For a team that hasn't been renowned for playing possession based football all season, it's important that the Rams can be as clinical as possible throughout the run in, and turn as many chances into goals as possible.
Particularly in games against opponents such as Southampton, a fixture which will no doubt have massive implications on the Championship table.
With Morris still working his way back to full fitness, and continuing to have his minutes managed, it will be Agyemang who will be called upon as Derby's main target man to deliver, and create a potentially special end to the season for the Rams.
