DARREN Pratley believes there is a new grit and belief about Wanderers under Dougie Freedman which he hopes will be as evident at Derby County tonight as it was along the A52 in Nottingham on Saturday.

The Whites went down to 10 men at Forest but came away with a 1-1 draw.

And while it is wins they want most, Pratley says the steely determination and character they have shown to come from behind and earn points in recent games shows they are on the right path.

The 27-year-old who has been a regular starter under Freedman said: “At the start of the season we would have ended up losing that game by two or three.

“Earlier on in the season, once we went a goal down heads would drop.

“I think we’ve been playing well. Some of the results haven't gone our way but that was a big point.

“We went there to win but when you look how they approached the game, they did play very well.

“Once they scored, you might have thought they’d go on and win it, but it’s credit to us that they didn’t.

“I just think there is more belief about the place. When we are playing well we know what we are doing. We’re confident we are playing well and we can get ourselves back into games. We’ve done that a lot since the new manager came in.

“We have gone a goal down but managed to get back into the game to get a point or a win.

“We have to start winning games but after beating Burnley we’ll take that point at Forest, with a new manager coming in and going a goal down.”

Pratley is just as pleased with his own individual displays of late and happy to have a run in midfield. He has now racked up 21 appearances this season and believes playing consistently has been key to him keeping his place. He added: “It’s no shock that I’m starting to do okay, because I know I can when I get a run of games. When I know I have got a chance of playing next week I can relax a bit, knowing I’m not going to be in for one game and then out for 10 – that’s no good for anyone.

“If I can carry on picking up games then I’m confident I can do well for the club.”