DERBY County embark on a testing run of four matches in 13 days today as they look to cement a place in the top half of the Championship.

Their game against Millwall at The Den is followed by home fixtures against Reading and Leicester City, which sandwich a trip to Southampton.

The sequence of games will test the top-half credentials of Derby, who are 12th on 41 points.

They are six points adrift of the top six and two points above the team immediately below them, Leicester.

"This is the start of another busy few weeks," said manager Nigel Clough, who has questioned what he calls a "mad" grouping of fixtures.

The postponement of the Nottingham Forest game last weekend means Derby face eight matches in March, including seven in 22 days.

The Forest game has been rearranged for March 13.

Derby take on promotion-chasers Birmingham City and Blackpool at the start of the month before Watford and Forest visit Pride Park.

There are also six games in 22 days awaiting the Rams in April.

"When you look at the fixtures, the Forest game was the first one we have had postponed this season and yet we seem to be extremely busy in March and April," said Clough.

"There is a shout for getting some more games played earlier in the season, in the September period or whenever.

"We seem to have these mad groupings of fixtures.

"You can have one game in a couple of weeks and then, all of a sudden, you get five in two weeks or so.

"They have to be scheduled better."

Millwall's victory at Southampton in their FA Cup replay on Tuesday saved Derby from a blank weekend this month.

"Had Southampton won, then our game against them would have had to be rearranged and I think that would have left us with a game just about every midweek between now and the end of the season," said Clough.

"Once you get February out of the way, it is almost non-stop."

Looking at the next week or so, Clough added: "The three games in eight days see us play two away games, at Millwall and Southampton, and you don't get much tougher than those, with a home game against Reading on Valentine's Day."