TOMMY Elphick has sounded out a defiant message ahead of Cherries’ showdown with fellow high-fliers Derby and declared: “We need to prove why we’re top.”

Skipper Elphick is tomorrow set to lead Cherries against the Rams in an eagerly-awaited Dean Court sell-out between the top two in the Championship (7.45pm).

Cherries, who had Lee Camp controversially sent off when they went down 2-0 at Derby in September, have lost all three meetings since returning to the second flight in 2013.

However, since tasting defeat at the iPro, Eddie Howe’s team have dropped just 12 points from a possible 57 – with 14 wins and three draws taking them from 15th to first.

Just three goals separate Cherries from second-placed Derby, the Rams missing out on promotion following a dramatic play-off final defeat by QPR in May.

Asked whether he felt Derby had outplayed Cherries earlier this season, Elphick told the Daily Echo: “Perhaps we were a little naive and maybe gave them too much respect.

“The sending off had a massive bearing on the game because it was 0-0 at the time and we were well in there.

“We haven’t beaten Derby since we came up to the Championship and we need to set down a marker and prove we are better than them. We need to prove to everyone why we are top of the league and there is no better stage to do it than against the team just below you.”

Elphick believes Cherries are equipped to stay the course and insists they must continue to focus on themselves during what promises to be a tense conclusion to the season.

He added: “We can’t concentrate on who is doing what and there are going to be plenty of twists and turns. Every time you win, the next game gets bigger.

“We’ve got a good enough squad as long as we can keep everybody fit.

“We had a scare last week with Dan Gosling and Eunan O’Kane getting injured but then you saw Shaun MacDonald come on and step in flawlessly at Wigan.

“It is testament to the strength of the squad that other players have been keeping someone with Macca’s quality out of the team.

“He had a bit of a stop-start season early on but we have seen how good a player he is in the cup games and why the manager has been keen to keep him involved. His attitude has been spot-on.

“He is first in and last out every day. He works hard on his game so, hopefully, we will see more of him.

“The squad is there and it is up to us to keep each other going. The manager keeps training fresh and keeps everybody on their toes.”