Stoke & Staffordshire

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Stoke City centre-back Luke Graham said the squad will continue to "not look back" after turning round their difficult start to the Championship season in emphatic style.

The Potters began the league campaign with three defeats but have bounced back superbly with a run of six wins in their past eight games, with their only loss coming in added time against Middlesbrough.

That run has taken Mark Robins' side up to sixth place after 11 matches, as the club target a successful bid for promotion back to the Premier League after what would be nine years.

Summer signing Graham, 22, has been an increasingly impressive presence in Stoke's new-look back three and scored his first goal for the club in the 1-0 win at Derby on Saturday.

"For all the signings it was going to take a bit of time to adjust, especially having the system and coming in a few games after the [start of the] season, but as a group we adapted to that instantly really and I think we've not looked back since," Graham told BBC Radio Stoke.

"It's just about keeping that going, keeping my feet on the ground and knowing that I've still got to work hard because I've not made it, yet I've still got a long way to go in my career."

Since Robins switched to three central defenders after their 4-1 defeat by Wolves at the end of August, the Boro loss is the only blemish for Stoke, who have beaten Norwich, Charlton, Watford, Sheffield United and Bolton - the latter with 10 men - and drawn at Cardiff.

"That shows the kind of characters we've got in the dressing room," Graham said.

"It's real tight, there's a togetherness, it's like a big family so we know going into any game we're going to fight throughout.

"We've faced a lot of different styles of football and I think we've handled the role in just about every game, so it's just about keeping that consistency and not getting too far ahead of ourselves.

"We're loving it at the minute, the way that we're playing and the way that we're battling for each other."

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Burton Albion midfielder Harvey Araujo says they must move on positively from the disappointment of their "chaotic" draw with Peterborough United.

The Brewers take on Bradford City at home on Tuesday after seeing their last-minute lead against the Posh slip when Robbie Savage's side grabbed a point with a 96th-minute equaliser in their 2-2 draw.

After falling behind to Owura Edwards' second-minute opener, Charlie Webster levelled for Burton who then looking like they had won it in the 89th minute when Gbemi Arubi spotted Posh goalkeeper Alex Bass off his line and lobbed him from inside the centre circle.

But Matt Garbett equalised deep in stoppage time to trigger wild home celebrations and deny Burton a fourth win of the season.

"It was pretty chaotic," Araujo told BBC Radio Derby.

"Very end-to-end stuff and a game I felt we should have gone home with three points.

"[It's] very disappointing but we just have to move on quickly."

Araujo, who played his first full game since suffering a knee injury in March before his summer move from Colchester, said the frantic nature of the match does give them something to work on.

"We could learn from this game and from a defensive point of view just have that composure and that control over certain games like this - whenever it's hectic, just to have a control on our side of things."

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Luke Graham has done nothing but improve since joining Stoke from Dundee in the summer.

His goal at Derby was his first for the club and a brilliant moment - but his work in his own box against a hugely physical Rams side was also incredibly impressive.

Graham wins a huge amount in the air and put in some really good blocks from the left side of the back three.

Over the past few months he has made the move to Stoke, become a regular in the side, picked up his first cap for Scotland, put on some size and looked more and more at home in a league that provides a significant step up from the Scottish top flight.

Graham is 22, left footed, 6ft 4ins (193cm tall) and showing immense potential as part of a collective that's growing together.

At Derby, they passed another couple of tests as a side looking to prove they belong in the play-off conversation.

Derby are a massive, direct, uncompromising team but they are struggling and Stoke went to the East Midlands with a small burden of expectation.

They were also looking to respond to a first defeat in some time with a win they will hope will begin another positive run of results.

They coped with all of the above, learned a few lessons and came away with the points which gives them 19 from their past eight games.

That's a phenomenal return from Graham and co, particularly given they are a team that is still developing.

After the events of last season, no Stoke fan will want to get too carried away but there is a huge amount to be optimistic about.