Derby County defender Matt Clarke confident squad is in good shape as Championship opener closes in

The Rams ended a pre-season trip to Austria with a 2-1 win over FC Red Bull Salzburg on Friday night.

And, with the season-opener at Stoke City on August 9 closing in, Clarke is confident Derby are building nicely towards the big kick-off.

“It is always pleasing when the work you are putting in comes out,” he said. “We are still fine-tuning and are making improvements.

“There is nothing that builds confidence more than winning to show you are on the right path.

“Everyone has different ways of doing pre-season. This year has been really tough and there were a lot of double sessions in the first two weeks

“Now we are over that you really feel the benefit. As a squad we feel good with where we are.

“We all get on really well and enjoy our time together. The hardships of last season and being bottom and having to stick together probably caused us to become tighter as a group.”

Clarke returned to Derby from Middlesbrough in January on a short-term deal, before signing a three year contract in May.

And delighted Clarke admits he was over the moon to get the deal done.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” he added. “I was always hopeful we could get a contract sorted out and I was happy to get it done.

“I have always said I have loved my time here and I genuinely mean that. There's something about this club that makes me want to come back.

“When I signed in January I just wanted to play football, but as soon as I got in the building and started playing and feeling a part of the squad and project, signing a deal became a priority and really appealing to me.

“When you are committing to a club the manager discusses a lot of that, he was a big factor.”