Derby County boss Steve McClaren has called on his players to handle the pressure of their promotion race as they approach the business end of the season.
Back-to-back wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic have propelled the Rams to the top of the Championship.
McClaren has insisted that his side have to show character over the remainder of the campaign to earn a place in the Premier League, starting with their trip to take on Fulham at Craven Cottage later today.
He told the club's official website: "Going to Fulham will be a difficult game down at Craven Cottage this weekend; they have a good home record. Since Kit Symons took over they have done quite well and they have some very good players.
"We have to take one game at a time and realise that we're not at the business end of the season yet. We have put ourselves in a good position and we have to handle the pressure and expectation. We must have players that will step up with all that going on and deal with the occasion and play their own game.
"Performances are important but the mentality is vitally important as well. The next three or four matches are going to be very, very interesting. It will be tough because we wanted the internal challenge to be tougher than the external challenge."
Derby hold a five-point cushion from the playoff places in the Championship, with 13 games remaining in the season.
Simon Sinclair
