3/1 To Win
Scott Malone says everyone in the Derby County camp is relishing the resumption of the 2019/20 Sky Bet Championship season later this month.
The EFL announced at the end of May that it had agreed to a provisional restart date of the weekend of 20th June 2020 for matches, behind-closed-doors, in the Championship.
Games haven’t been played for almost three months owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, which impacted on the UK back in March.
Derby, who were the last side in action in the Championship as they defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Pride Park Stadium, will return to action with a trip to Millwall on 20th June.
The date is subject to the strict proviso that all safety requirements and UK Government guidance is met; and that clubs receive clearance from their local authorities to stage matches at their home grounds.
Derby were in a reasonable run of form prior to the unexpected break in the season and had recorded back-to-back league victories against Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn to climb up to 12th spot in the table.
Phillip Cocu’s side are five points off the top six with nine games left to play and Malone is looking forward to resuming the campaign and pushing to finish as high as possible in the Championship standings.
Speaking to Talksport’s Ian Abrahams, Malone said: “If we can pick up how we left off, towards the top end of the form table, then you never know what could happen.
“The play-offs are still a possibility as we are five points off the top six with nine matches to play.
“It’s a bit up in the air and a mystery right now, as you don’t know how teams are going to return from this break and what injuries you’re going to get.
“If you can win your first two of three games, with the quick turnarounds, you can easily find yourself in with a real chance. Anything can happen but we’re in a good position in the table to try and have a go.”
He added: “We do have to remember as well, that life isn’t all about football – although we’re looking forward to playing games again.
“People’s lives are at stake in the community and the NHS staff have been working tirelessly to keep everyone safe.”
Malone and the rest of Derby’s squad returned to training, under the EFL’s Return to Training protocols, towards the end of May.
The left-back believes that everyone is raring to go again following three months without competitive matches - and he has also praised the club for the work that has been undertaken to make training as safe as possible for the players.
“Everyone has come back really fit to be honest, but nothing compares to being on the pitch,” Malone said.
“Things such as the twisting and turning are hard to replicate when you’re just doing running on the roads or the park.
“I think the return date of the 20th June is fair to be honest; we haven’t played for 12 weeks so everyone is raring to go. I think three weeks to build up will be enough.”
The 29-year-old added: “I am not worried about the environment we’re going into to train at as the work Derby have done has been phenomenal to be honest.
“The Club Doctor (Amit Pannu) did a digital dossier for us all with protocols and procedures and the Training Ground has been managed well.”
Malone, who has made 19 appearances during the 2019/20 campaign to date, has also praised the impact of Derby’s skipper Wayne Rooney since his arrival at the club in January.
The 34-year-old former England and Manchester United player has impressed in his 15 outings in a Rams shirt, playing a key role in the holding midfield position.
Malone believes it is no coincidence that Derby’s form has improved since the turn of the year with Rooney in the side.
“With some of the stuff he does, you do have to pinch yourself to be playing with him.
“His range of passing, and not only his goalscoring as Manchester United and England, is just amazing and he’s dropped back to be a defensive midfielder for us.
“At Crystal Palace in the FA Cup in January, he played alongside Tom Huddlestone in midfield and it was like a ‘pass off’. It was a joy to watch.
“Wayne has been great around everyone, not just the young lads. As well as being a great player, he is a great guy as well.
“Our form has been good since he came in, so the correlation is there really.”
The full interview with Scott Malone can be found on Ian Abrahams’ IGTV page on Instagram: instagram.com/broadcastmoose1
