BLUES defender David Wright had no doubt that Paul Jewell would put things right at Pride Park and knows Derby will be make it tough for Town tomorrow.

Derek Davis

BLUES defender David Wright had no doubt that Paul Jewell would put things right at Pride Park and knows Derby will be make it tough for Town tomorrow.

Wright was signed by Jewell for Wigan from Crewe but was sent out on loan to Norwich before getting a run in The Latics' double-promotion winning side.

Wright joined the Blues from Wigan while Jewell took over from Billy Davies as Derby manager, but could not save the Rams from relegation.

He also had an uncomfortable start to the Championship season with the first win not coming until six league games in, which meant Derby had gone on a staggering run of 36 league games without a win.

They won just once on the Premier League last season, beating Newcastle in September 2007.

But they have subsequently only lost two in 15 league and cup games and are in the Carling Cup quarter-finals where they face Stoke City.

Wright never had any doubts that Jewell would turn it around after getting to know him well at Wigan.

He said: “Derby started slowly, but I knew Paul would get them going. Derby struggled to adapt to life in the Championship when they first came down. They had been in the routine of getting beaten every week in the Premier League last season and that can be a hard routine to shake off, but they are on the rise now.

“He's got his own players in and with Paul in charge they will be a threat in this league.

“If you give him 100 per cent and run yourself into the ground for him he will back you all the way and he'll be no different at Derby. “

While Derby are on a high from a 3-0 win last weekend Town need to bounce back after losing at Doncaster

He will look to play the game in our half, not with long balls, but passes played into the channels, quick pass and move style and they will make it very difficult for us.”

After winning 3-0 last Saturday Wright has no doubt that the Rams will make it hard for Town but he is confident they will respond positively after last weekend.

He said: “Derby have found some form and won well again last Saturday and we were disappointed with how it went for us at Doncaster.

“But we go again on Saturday. He will look to play the game in our half, not with long balls but passes played into the channels, quick pass and move style and they will make it very difficult for us.

“We know it will be a tough game but went away from Doncaster, licked our wounds found the positives from that game and go into this game firing on all cylinders.”

In the wake of that single-goal defeat Wright bemoaned the missed chances Town had wasted of late and warned they needed to find more of a cutting edge in the final third.

Against Derby they find opposition who constantly concede. Their 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last week was only the second time this season they have kept a clean sheet.

Claude Davis and Lewin Nyatanga combined for that shut-out against the Owls after injuries to Dean Leacock and Martin Albrechtsen.

Davis, who was part of a Jamaica side that beat Canada 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier, was not due to arrive back in England until this morning and Jewell is concerned at his fitness, while Nyatanga played for Wales in Denmark and should start.

Finding the correct centre-half duo has been a problem and this week Jewell moved to strengthen in that area by signing 32-year-old Darren Powell who is a free agent after being released by Southampton in the summer.

A deal has been agreed and is expected to be completed this morning with Powell driving up from London to join his new team-mates in Suffolk.

Former Town loanee Jay McEvely can step in to central defence, but has been on the bench of late, with Jordan Stewart keeping him out of the side.

Stephen Bywater has been replaced in goal once more by Roy Carroll, but has pushed out Lewis Price as the second choice keeper with the former Blues youngster just returning from a three-game loan spell at MK Dons.