Martin lining up Brighton again
Chris Martin has Brighton in his sights again as he attempts to fire Derby to Wembley.
Striker Martin scored both goals as the Rams won 2-1 at the Amex Stadium in August and heads back to the south coast on Thursday night for the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final.
"I hope it works in my advantage," said the 25-year-old. "It is strange because it does give you confidence as a striker when you seem to score against teams.
"I scored against Brighton when I was at Norwich too, so I will take confidence from the fact that I can score against them, but every game is different.
"That was our first away game in the league this season and it really set the tone for how we have played on the road as there are only a couple of teams who have better away records than us this season.
"We have given ourselves a fantastic opportunity by finishing third in the table and we go into the play-offs on a good run, unbeaten in six games and winning five of them.
"The play-offs now give us an opportunity to go and show how good we are and play the kind of attacking football we have been playing all season."
Martin has scored 23 goals for the Rams this season while his opposite number Craig Mackail-Smith has yet to find the net, having only just returned from a year out with an Achilles injury.
But the Scotland forward still played a major role in prolonging Brighton's season, having climbed off the bench to provide the cross for Leonardo Ulloa's injury-time winner at Nottingham Forest which snatched sixth spot from Reading.
Mackail-Smith, 30, is now itching to have a similar impact in the play-offs.
"It's been tough watching," he admitted. "But hopefully there are three more games and maybe I can score in the final!
"That would make up for the time out, but to be involved at this point of the season - and to have an influence in the last game of the season - is more than I could have thought of really six or seven months ago.
"I've got to appreciate how far I have come and look forward to the game on Thursday now.
"I want to play 90 minutes as soon as I can and I haven't been able to do that, because the boys have been doing so well.
"I've just got to take my time, be sensible and contribute as much as I can when I come off the bench."
Source: PA
