Derby manager Billy Davies is confident his players will not let the enormity of the occasion get the better of them when Southampton visit Pride Park in the Coca-Cola Championship play-off semi-final second leg.

County are 2-1 ahead following Saturday's first leg at St Mary's, where a Steve Howard double overturned the early lead given to Saints by Andrew Surman.

The Rams missed out on automatic promotion to the Premiership after a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in the penultimate game consigned them to third place.

Birmingham's 2-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday 24 hours earlier had pushed Derby out of the top two places for the first time since New Year's Day and Davies admits his side buckled under the pressure of having to play catch-up at Selhurst Park.

But with one foot in the final against either West Brom or Wolves at the new Wembley, Davies insists County are better equipped to ensure there will be no repeat at Pride Park today.

''I am certain that it will not happen again - not with the squad we have got now,'' said the Derby boss.

''We did not handle the occasion that day and we did not get to grips with the pressure we were under because we had a team of young lads out there.

''Palace came out with nothing to play for and we just froze. But we have got senior players back now in the likes of Matt Oakley, Michael Johnson and Darren Moore."