CRAIG Bryson says Derby County are relishing the challenge of leading from the front now that the hunters have become the hunted.
Bryson's late wonder strike gave the Rams a 2-1 win at Watford last weekend – sending Steve McClaren's men three points clear at the top of the Championship table.
Derby are looking to remain at the summit in their quest for automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Last season, the Rams climbed from mid-table to finish third, only to lose to Queens Park Rangers in the play-off final at Wembley.
This time around, McClaren's side are title favourites and are having to cope with the added expectation levels.
Their previous stay at the top lasted only one game as they suffered consecutive defeats to Wigan Athletic and Brentford.
Bryson admitted this season's dynamic was a different proposition to that of the 2013-14 campaign.
"You feel the expectations but as players – and professionals – you have to take a step back from that," said the midfielder, who is pushing for a recall to the starting line-up at Leeds United today.
"We're being chased now rather than us chasing somebody, so it's a different feeling.
"We'll welcome the challenge and, hopefully, we can stay there.
"I've been in relegation battles in Scotland and I'd much rather be in this position!
"We have to enjoy being up there and being a good team."
While enjoying the moment, Bryson is well aware that there is a lot of football left to be played, with 28 League fixtures remaining.
"We will have a wee look at the table but it doesn't mean anything in November," said the Scotland international.
"We're up there where we want to be but it's going to be tough to stay there. There are a lot of teams in the Championship who fancy themselves to get in the top six and get promoted.
"We're no different but we've just got to take it game by game.
"There's a lot of hard work ahead and although we're in the right position, nobody is getting carried away. There's still nearly 30 games left and we know how tough it's going to be.
"We're delighted where we are now and we'll be looking to keep it going."
Bryson believes the squad have learned a lot from their Wembley agony – and that is has brought them closer together as a team.
"The squad is excellent and we've all grown from the experiences we had last season," he added.
"So we've all matured and we know what it's all about.
"We just need to keep going along like we are.
"We've got a good team spirit anyway but something like that brings you all closer together.
"We all want to go in the same direction.
"Losing at Wembley was a hard one to take but we've bounced back well, with no real hangover."
