Croft opened the scoring against the Owls from close range

Derby County winger Lee Croft says the 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday was the perfect response to their 6-1 hammering away at Cardiff City.

Croft, who grabbed his first Rams goal and was named man of the match, told BBC Radio Derby the win was "massive".

"We didn't perform at Cardiff. It was horrible, the players hurt and no-one talked on the way home," he added.

"But we showed great character, everyone is willing to fight for the cause, and that we have real quality."

The victory, their second consecutive home success, saw Nigel Clough's side move up to 17th place in the Championship.

But Croft warned they must continue to reach those standards on a regular basis.

"We just need to match that every week," he said.

"We need to perform and work as hard as we did today. The harder work the luckier you get.

"We've been good at home and need to take that in to our away form as well."

And on a personal note Croft was delighted to get his first Rams goal since his summer move to Pride Park from Norwich.

"It's good to get the first goal out of the way and I could have one or two more. Hopefully there is more to come," he said.

"My best is yet to come but it is starting to come now."

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