Steve McClaren plays down Derby County's automatic promotion hopes

Derby County manager Steve McClaren has played down the Rams' automatic promotion hopes, despite seeing his side beat Queens Park Rangers 1-0 at the iPro Stadium in the Championship.

A John Eustace goal in the first half secured the points for Derby, who are now just one point off second place.

"I still say no," the 52-year-old told Sky Sports when asked if he felt that his side were in with a shot of promotion. "We haven't got the experience. We've got to show more consistency, especially against the big teams.

"We're still looking at seventh position. That is our target at the present moment. The likes of Leicester, QPR and Burnley have got all the experience.

"I said before the game it would be a test of how far we've come. We were ready for a big win and this was a big win. We hadn't beaten any of the top six and this was a challenge."

Derby are back in league action next Tuesday when they face Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.