Hendrie: Rams can be one of challengers for place in Premier

SKY Sports pundit Lee Hendrie says Derby County could launch an unlikely bid for promotion if they can keep the likes of Carlton Morris fit and make a couple of additions in the January window.

- By LEIGH CURTIS

The Rams are currently the inform team in the country having won their last five games which has lifted them up to 10th in the table and approaching the end of the year with a great deal of optimism.

Striker Morris is currently the division's joint top scorer with 10 goals and the Rams have been on an excellent run since their 1-0 defeat away against Oxford United last month.

Head coach John Eustace says he is under no pressure from the Rams owners to deliver promotion this season but Hendrie believes Derby could find themselves in the equation because of the lack of consistency in the division.

"Maybe he (Eustace) couldn't quite get the new players up to speed because they did a lot of business late on in the window and brought a lot of experienced heads in," Hendrie told Football League World.

"Look at what he (Eustace) did at the likes of Birmingham and Blackburn, where he had them in really good positions.

"He took the plunge to try and save Derby, which he did.

"Now he has started building a platform to try and take Derby back to where they should be, and that's competing to get back into the Premier League.