Derby press conference amid 'massive' double boost and Morris shirt solution

Derby County head coach John Eustace faced the media this afternoon in his usual pre-match press conference at Moor Farm ahead of the Milwall game this weekend.

Sporting his club tracksuit, Eustace answered questions from the BBC, DerbyshireLive and Rams Review as he looked ahead to the trip to the New Den where Derby will hope to secure only their second win of the season.

There was plenty on the agenda for Eustace to address with Patrick Agyemang and Matt Clarke's progress on their return from injury and lots more.

Here are a selection of the best bits from his chat with the media this afternoon.

Duo closing in on return

Derby County duo Matt Clarke and Patrick Agyemang have taken another major step towards their return by taking a small part in training over the last week.

Defender Clarke and striker Agyemang are both scheduled to return next month from calf and Achilles problems, respectively. But they have been back on the grass for minor training exercises this week with Derby being cautious not to rush them back before they are ready.

Eustace said today, however, that having the duo back with the rest of the players was a lift for everybody.

"Matt Clarke and Patrick Agyemang have both trained and taken small parts training in the last week, which has been a massive boost for the group," he said.

"It's been fantastic to see them back, training and taking part. It's going to take probably another couple of weeks before they're both fully involved and available for selection.

"But just to have them next to the boys on the training pitch and also taking part. It's been a huge boost and everyone's delighted with the progress they've made.

"Patrick's done a little bit of finishing unopposed, which has been great. Clarkey's taken part in a couple of the warm-ups, some passing drills, so just to have those two top performers back around the group has been excellent."

Carlton Morris set for shirt size change

Derby County look set to hand Carlton Morris a smaller shirt size to stop it from being ripped by opposition defenders. John Eustace revealed today that he has gone through at least three shirts already this season and suffered another torn kit at Sheffield United last weekend.

He is now set to be handed a smaller shirt to make it harder for his rivals to grab it during physical exchanges.

Eustace is also looking at ways to get the striker back on the goal trail, with the forward having scored once so far this season, compared with finishing last season as top scorer.

Speaking today, Eustace said: "I think he must have changed his shirt probably three or four times now already this year.

"Carlton's a real physical handful, but he's very fair. His all-round performances so far this season have been good.

"We've got to get some more goals for him, we've got to create some more chances for him, but the way he played on Saturday at Sheffield United, he was magnificent.

"Carlton's in a really good place at the moment. He's got a really good relationship with Henrik Meister, Bobby Clark, Sammy Szmodics and with Rhian (Brewster), and I'm hoping and certain the goals will start coming for him.

"We need more quality on our set-pieces and putting it in the right area. We need more balls into the box, although in the last two or three games, there have been a lot of touches in the final third and penalty area. Ultimately, and when he gets the opportunity, he takes it. We all need to be better for him, but when he gets the chances, he's got to put it in the goal as well."

Allen set for talks

John Eustace said he has had some terrific feedback about Owen Eames' loan at Falkirk, as Derby look set to discuss what happens next with Cruz Allen, who is on loan at Halifax.

Eames is currently thriving on a season-long loan in the Scottish Premier League and last night played for Falkirk in their 1-0 win over Aberdeen. He has played seven games so far since his move north of the border and has won praise for his performances with Falkirk, having won their last three games.

He also scored in a 2-1 win over Hearts last month. Allen, meanwhile, has also been on the scoresheet for Halifax in a win over Solihull Moors in the National League with Town boss John McGrath having been keen to extend his stay.

But Eustace said that is something that will need to be discussed.

"They've both been really good loans for them and I think Eamesy is doing terrific," he said. "The feedback we've had from them up there has been very positive.

"It's really good for him to go up and live in another country and fend for himself, start cooking for himself and it's all part of his development. He'll certainly come back a better player, and so will Cruz. We'll have to have a chat about that (Cruz and Halifax).

"We'll have to speak to Cruz about it, and obviously we've got the loans manager and the staff here, so we'll all sit down and discuss what we're going to do."

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