3/1 To Win
Duane Holmes has insisted that Derby County’s players are raring to go ahead of the start of the 2020/21 season.
Derby’s campaign will get underway this weekend when they welcome Sky Bet League 2 newcomers Barrow AFC to Pride Park Stadium in the First Round of the Carabao Cup on Saturday (12pm kick-off).
Seven days later, on Saturday 12th September, the Rams will take on Reading on home territory in their opening fixture of the 2020/21 Sky Bet Championship season (3pm kick-off).
Phillip Cocu’s first-team squad have been back in pre-season training since early August, following a shorter than normal break at the conclusion of the 2019/20 campaign because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Holmes, who gained his first pre-season minutes in Tuesday night’s final friendly ahead of the new campaign against Premier League side Sheffield United on home turf after recovering from a muscle problem, says the squad are itching to get down to competitive action.
The 25-year-old midfielder also believes there is a determination within the squad to get off to a good start and build on the positive second half of last season, with Cocu’s side one of the form teams in the division from Christmas onwards.
“As footballers, we just want to play as many games as we can,” Holmes said in an interview with RamsTV.
“We are looking to win every game, starting with Barrow on Saturday in the Carabao Cup, but we are just excited that the season is finally here.
“Going into lockdown in March was tough, coming back from lockdown was tough too because we didn’t have long to prepare, but we have had a tough pre-season and we’re ready to go now.
“We had about two weeks off in July, but with the way last season ended we would have taken three or four days. Even in the two weeks off, you go away and it is all you can think about, especially when we know we did ourselves a disservice at the end of last season.
“We didn’t finish it well enough and we were all disappointed we didn’t make the play-offs. We want to start the season well and see where it takes us.”
The United States of America international added: “The games came thick and fast after the three-month break so it was nice to get away for a couple of weeks, relax and know that we have to come back to work and work really hard to be ready for the new season.”
Holmes, who made 36 appearances in all competitions last season, believes Cocu’s squad has a good feel about it.
Derby have a mixture of youth and experience within the squad, and it was a combination which served the Rams well during the second half of the 2019/20 season as the side climbed their way up the Championship table.
Holmes, who is entering his third full season as a Rams player after arriving from Scunthorpe United in 2018, is quietly confident Derby can build on the positive foundations laid over the last 12 months.
“We have a good group,” Holmes said. “We have the experience and the young talent is coming through.
“For me, it’s exciting. I think we could surprise a few people this season, especially with the players and squad that we have got.
“You can see the massive difference between when the manager came in. At the start of last season, we did not take to the style of play straight away but towards the end of the season, I thought we played some great stuff and hopefully we can carry that on.
“We have a lot of talent in this team and I think we can do well.”
