Fulham travel to Derby County in the Championship tonight.

Scott Parker's side worked so hard to close what was an 11-point gap to 2nd-place Leeds over the festive period, and going into last weekend level on points and welcoming bottom-club Barnsley to Craven Cottage, everything was supposed to continue on it's upward trajectory.

But Fulham and Parker were brought crashing down to Earth by the Tykes who claimed the shock of the weekend, winning 3-0.

It's added extra importance to tonight's game at Pride Park, and another loss will have Parker under immense pressure as he looks to deliver an immediate return to the Premier League.

Speaking to www.fulhamfc.com ahead of the clash, Parker recognised Derby's home-form, and how much they've changed since the pair met earlier in the season:

“They’re a totally different team to the one we played earlier on in the season. They’ve got the second best home form in the division.

“It’s always a tough place to go, Pride Park, and even more so now because Derby are on a good run. They’re doing really well, so it will be a tough, tough place to go, I have no doubt.”

Fulham claimed a 3-0 win when Derby visited the Cottage in November, with Bobby Reid, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tom Cairney all netting in what was arguably Parker's best month in charge - he won four of five through November.

The ex-England midfielder then went on to talk about an ex-England teammate of his in Wayne Rooney. Our nation's all-time leading goal-scorer arrived at Pride Park in January in a player-coach role, and the Rams have since seen an upturn in their form:

“He’s made a massive impact, I think you can see that, certainly in the way they’re playing,” Parker said. “When you bring a player of Wayne’s calibre into your football club, he brings a certain mentality, as well as the quality he has as a footballer which we all know.

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“With a player who’s got a winning mentality and who has been there and done it, I’ve no doubt that he’ll be a huge success there, and that’s why Wayne’s had a big impact.”

Rooney though isn't the fiery 18-year-old he once was. “He’s a different player now,” Parker said. “He’s an older player now, and the qualities he has are very different.

“When you’re a world class player, you realise and work out quickly how you can still be effective in a football match, and Wayne’s done that incredibly well. “When you watch him play now, he can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and really take control of a football match from a deeper area. That’s what I’ve seen from their last few games whilst analysing ahead of this one. “He’s different now, of course. What I used to see and what we all used to see isn’t what Wayne does now, but he’s still mightily effective.” A win tonight would answer a lot of fans' question about Parker. His side have proved inconsistent this season and that's the difference between them and the top-two. Fulham can be world-beaters on their day, but Parker needs to find a way of getting through difficult games, and eradicating silly defeats.