Pearson Stakes His Claim

Stephen Pearson wouldn't have done his chances of staking a regular place back in the Derby side any harm last night. His goal, in his first start since March, earned us a point in the 1-1 draw at Swansea and he hopes for more matches to come.

'Whether I start on Saturday (against Cardiff City) or not is up to the manager but to get a start against Swansea and to score a goal felt great.

'Every player will tell you they want to play games but there are a lot of players at Derby not playing at the minute. There's a lot of boys in the same boat.

'You've just got to work hard and wait for your opportunity so that when it does come along, you grasp it with both hands.'

'I've got to be patient, so I'll go into training again with the boys and we'll prepare again for Saturday. Hopefully, I'll play a part.

Pearson was talking to the Evening Telegraph.

The goal was only his second for the club, the other coming as he scored the winner in the 2007 play-off final, but it was a goal to rescue a point against a good Swansea side. This point will hopefully help us build confidence even more and we can take this forward to the Cardiff match at Pride Park on Saturday.

Many Rams fans feel that Pearson is a player that should be given more of a chance in the first-team, and this goal should be enough to see him retain his place this weekend, but it is then down to him to make the most of this (should it come) and prove to Paul Jewell that he was wrong to have contemplated selling him in the summer!

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