McEwan cool on Rams role

Marcus Bent's goal helped Ipswich beat Derby

Billy McEwan says he will not apply for the Derby manager's job on a permanent basis after his first game at the helm ended in a 3-1 defeat to Ipswich.

Caretaker-boss McEwan took temporary charge of the Rams after Colin Todd was sacked just three months into the job.

Although McEwan has admitted he would take over permanently if asked, he will wait for chairman Lionel Pickering to make the next move.

"It's something that has to be discussed with the powers that be and all I've been doing is trying to prepare the team as best as I can for today's game," McEwan said.

It's a real tester when you're down there

George Burley

"I thought I did that and I thought the players gave it everything. But I will not be applying for the manager's job.

"If someone else wants to come in and have a go then so be it, but they will face the same problems that I'm facing."

Derby's defeat at Pride Park on Saturday leaves them second bottom of the Premiership table and five points adrift of safety.

Their precarious position sparked a mini revolt as some fans crowded around the stadium's main entrance chanting for the removal of Pickering and the rest of the board.

"We always felt that this was going to be the most difficult season," McEwan added. "It is certainly proving to be so at the minute."

McEwan couldn't change Derby's fortunes

Ipswich meanwhile climbed out of the drop zone for the first time since October with goals from Marcus Bent, Sixto Peralta and Martijn Reuser.

With only nine points at Christmas, a fifth win in six league matches propelled the Tractor Boys above Middlesbrough to 17th in the table with 24 points.

Manager George Burley insisted his side cannot afford to get complacent however in their efforts to avoid the drop.

"We're not kidding ourselves, we're not out of it yet and there's a long way to go," he said. "But I've had belief in the players I've got here that we will get out of trouble.

"It's a real tester when you're down there but the backroom staff and the squad have never dropped their heads, they have kept believing and at the moment we are getting our rewards by winning games.

"It's great to be out of the bottom three but there is still such a lot to be done.

"We have a very difficult finish to the season against Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool in our last three games. But we are desperate to stay in this league."