Tommy Elphick wants Aston Villa to charge at Rams
Tommy Elphick has urged Villa to go full tilt at Derby from the first whistle on Saturday.
Villa host the seventh-placed Rams desperately needing a victory to breathe new life into their campaign.
Midweek results saw Dean Smith’s team slide to 13th in the Championship, eight points behind the top six.
Yet Elphick believes their fate still lies in their own hands, as they prepare for a defining fortnight which also includes games with Blues, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough.
The centre-back took encouragement from the second half performance in last weekend’s 1-1 draw at Stoke and said: “The second half at Stoke was almost faultless. We need to start like that against Derby and start turning these draws into wins.
“Every game is a big game from now on until the end of the season. The shackles came off in the second half and we saw a team going at a good team together. We need to take that forward into the next game.
“I believe our fate is in our own hands still and we have to keep believing until it is mathematically impossible.”
