Derby County have not been at their best so far this season, with stuttering performances and lack of cutting edge, Derby need some players to pull them out of this rut and start making things happen. 

Derby have been somewhat unlucky in the fact that if Martyn Waghorn had scored the missed penalties against both Swansea and West Brom, Derby would only be two points off the play-offs and would be sitting nicely to push and keep themselves in the mix. Instead, they are playing catch up and need to start picking up results soon.

Here we look at two players Derby need to be consistent performers to worry the other play-off contenders...

Duane Holmes

Duane Holmes arrived from Scunthorpe and had seemed to be written off by a few Derby fans who only saw him as a back-up option when he arrived. Now it seems he could be the missing piece to Phillip Cocu's puzzle, he is direct and loves to drive with the ball at the opposition defence.

When Holmes gets on the ball, he gets supporters on their feet with the anticipation that something might happen, his creativity is fantastic and even without the ball, he is a constant pest pressing the ball high up the pitch and working hard for his team.

The task for Holmes will be to find a level of consistency and keep his place in the role of playmaker and also to keep his fitness as he has struggled with injuries in the past. If Derby can keep Holmes fit and firing then they will be in with a good chance of turning their fortunes around.

Tom Lawrence

Arguably the most frustrating player in the Championship, Lawrence shows glimpses of his ability in some games but then won't show anything for the next 6/7 games, this has been proven so far this season, as he netted a fantastic brace at Huddersfield opening day but has failed to score since.

One of Lawrence's biggest issues is his discipline as he picks up needless yell0w cards for silly fouls and he has already picked up five yellow cards this season, meaning he misses the trip to Leeds United. On his day Tom Lawrence could be the best player in the Championship, he drives at the opposition and he can strike the ball well from distance, his play has become predictable however as he near enough cuts inside on his right foot every time and makes himself easy to defend against.

Derby need Lawrence to find his form once he comes back from suspension as along with Duane Holmes, he is one of Derby's most creative players.