Mason Bennett was delighted to make his mark in emphatic fashion during Derby County’s friendly clash against Bristol City in Florida on Sunday morning.
The Rams rounded off their 10-day training camp in the United States with a 2-1 victory over their Sky Bet Championship opponents.
The game was carried over from Saturday evening and played over two 30-minutes halves, after severe weather conditions resulted in the friendly being abandoned after 45 minutes.
The initial plan was to play four 30-minute quarters against the Robins, but heavy rain and a thunderstorm instead forced a 45-minute match on Saturday and then two 30-minute halves on Sunday.
Derby fielded a different XI in each match, allowing players to get plenty of minutes under their belts.
Bennett opened the scoring in the soaring Sunday morning heat with a stunning long-range effort in the first half, before setting up Ikechi Anya to double the lead in the second period.
Speaking after the game, he told RamsTV: “I’m delighted with the goal and how the game went.
“We said beforehand that we couldn’t do anything about the preparation, but when we stepped on the pitch we had to give everything we’d got.
“We needed the minutes in our legs ahead of next week, so the lads put a shift in and we got a good result.”
On his fine strike, Bennett said: “I missed a sitter the other day against Sarasota Metropolis, so it was nice to stick that one in.
“Twan Scheepers (Specialist First Team Coach) has been great with me and he told me to keep shooting from anywhere when the chance comes up.
“We have Chris Martin up front now and he’s a great targetman. You can link up off him and he has great intelligence on the ball, so it was nice to get the perfect lay-off from him for the goal.”
Bennett admitted the soaring Florida heat provided a testing challenge against the Robins.
However, he felt it was another important hurdle overcome as the build-up to the 2019/20 season continues to gather pace.
Derby’s players will fly home on Sunday evening and will face League 1 outfit Burton Albion, Spanish Second Division side Girona and Scottish giants Rangers in their final three friendlies ahead of the new campaign.
“It very hot this morning and after the warm-up were all dripping with sweat,” he said.
“It was important to keep the fluids on board at every opportunity, but it was the same for both sides.
“I’m feeling good. I am ready to get more minutes under my belt, which I am sure is the same for all the lads.
“The season is three weeks away and we have three games to play too. This is the time to put the work in though to make sure we’re ready.”