Mark Wright says Derby County will always hold a special place in his heart.
The former England international defender made 171 appearances in total for the Rams between 1987 and 1991.
Wright also starred for England during the 1990 FIFA World Cup as Bobby Robson’s side reached the Semi-Final stage of the competition.
The central defender joined Derby in the summer of 1987 from Southampton, alongside fellow international team-mate Peter Shilton, following their back-to-backs promotions to the top-flight under Arthur Cox.
Wright proved to be a shrewd addition to the Rams’ backline and was named as the Player of the Season in the 1988/89 and 1989/90 seasons.
He moved to Liverpool in the summer of 1991 and looks back on his time at the Baseball Ground, and in particular playing under Arthur Cox, with only happy memories.
“When I was on ‘Harry’s Heroes’ recently the lads were asking me about my time at Derby and I said I loved it,” Wright told RamsTV whilst appearing as a special guest on the Derby County Community Trust’s recent Zoom call with participants of their Team Talk programme in May.
“I loved playing under Arthur Cox and every day he was after me and driving me on.
“He’d say something during training, just so I could hear him, and it would make me feel ‘I’ll show you’. Arthur was a master at those things.
“What we achieved was incredible, finishing fifth in the First Division as it was then. We weren’t the highest paid squad or the biggest in terms of numbers, but we had a really good team.”
Football has temporarily been halted across the United Kingdom owing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Derby were last in action in early March with a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers and have only recently resumed tailored training sessions under the EFL’s Return to Training protocols.
Wright is looking forward to taking in a game at Pride Park Stadium in the future when it is safe for spectators to return to matches.
Now 56, Wright moved into coaching and management upon retiring and has also featured in the popular ITV football show ‘Harry’s Heroes’ alongside a number of former England internationals.
“Derby County is a massive club, a big part of my life and will always be in my heart,” he said.
“I’ve been invited to come down to a game and once everything opens back up again, I will be there.
“I had a great time at the club, and I owe a great debt to Derby County and Arthur Cox, that is for sure.”