Steve McClaren says Derby County’s top scorer Chris Martin should return from injury against Watford this evening (Friday) and the Rams will also be boosted by the return of midfielders George Thorne and Jeff Hendrick.

Derby’s automatic promotion push stuttered in March and a run of six games without victory has left the side five points off the top two.

Their poor form last month was partly down to injuries to key players. Martin has been absent for the Rams’ last ten matches with a hamstring problem and Thorne – who had a loan spell at Watford last season – has featured just twice this season.

And Hendrick, who was a summer transfer target of the Golden Boys, sat out Derby’s defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the international break with a hamstring problem.

All three players have returned to training ahead of tonight’s game and Darren Bent, who is on loan from Aston Villa, has also had two weeks to regain his fitness after missing the majority of March through injury. McClaren was asked yesterday (Thursday) if top-scorer Martin would feature against the Hornets. He said: “Yes, in some capacity, I think. He has had a week’s training, we have eased him back in.

“It is good to see them (Martin, Thorne and Hendrick) out training. They have had a full week’s work and are available for tomorrow night.

“We need to make a decision now, a tough one, with regards to how we use them and those decisions will be finalised on Friday.

“Chrissy has been out eight weeks and missed ten games, and we have got to be careful with him.

“Darren (Bent) has probably had more game-time and training over the last two weeks. While George has been absent for over a month, so we have to be careful. Their returns certainly make the squad stronger at an important time.”

Former Hornets captain John Eustace will not face his old side tonight as he has undergone a second operation on a knee injury while defender Jake Buxton will also miss the clash with a back problem.

Given their slump in March, the match has taken on added significance for Derby. McClaren says his side must improve defensively, especially as they will take on a potent Watford side.

He said: “They are a very good team and have excellent striking options – goal scorers. They always create chances and play football; it is the way we play as well.”

“We have to start winning games,” he added. “It is no good what we have been doing through March. We need to start scoring again and getting clean sheets. We will do nothing [this season] unless we do that.”

McClaren says he knew his side would face a difficult March without the likes of Martin, Bent, Thorne and Eustace.

The Rams lost back-to-back games against promotion-rivals Wolves and Middlesbrough before the international break and the Derby boss admits performances were not good enough for a side with aspirations of reaching the Premier League.

He explained: “We have, through circumstances outside of our control, and circumstances within our control, let ourselves down over the last five or six games and put ourselves in the situation we are in. Now we have to get ourselves out of that.

“We need to keep up the performances and be better in each box, that is the key. We have been fantastic in terms of our attitude and our football but we have failed to finish at one end and failed to defend at the other, which is why we have lost.”

He continued: “We need to kick on now. All teams have blips but you have to time them right. We didn’t time March very well but the break has done us good.

“We come back refreshed and I hope it shows in the results that follow.”