Wed 28 Jun - Posted in News
Time to read: 2mins
Craig Bryson admits he’s raring to get down to work as preparations gather pace for Derby County’s 2017/18 Sky Bet Championship season.
Derby’s players reported in for testing at the University of Derby on Wednesday morning ahead of pre-season training commencing on Thursday.
Bryson, 30, had his fitness levels pushed to the maximum during the testing session and he’s feeling in good shape to impress in the lead-up to the new campaign.
He told RamsTV: “It’s good to be back in and we’ll see which of the lads have stuck to their programmes over the summer!
“I was straight on a treadmill that goes a bit quicker and a bit long, so that wasn’t ideal for me as soon as I arrived.
“I did all my work over the summer and I feel I am in good shape to hopefully hit the ground running.”
He added: “It’s good to be back amongst the lads; you miss being around them after a while but it’s important to have some time to rest when you’re away.
“The Championship is a long, hard season so it’s good to see everyone fresh and ready to go.”
Gary Rowett’s side will kick off the new season with a trip to Sunderland on Friday 4th August.
Bryson admits that getting the campaign underway against a side relegated from the Premier League last term is an exciting prospect.
He said: “We’ve six or so weeks until the season starts but I find that the time goes really quickly, especially once the games get underway.
“The first game of the season is a great one to look forward to, under the lights at Sunderland.
“We’ll get ourselves prepared for that one.”
Bryson became a married man during the close-season as he tied the knot with his long-term partner Gemma back in Scotland.
It made for a busy summer for the 2011 signing from Kilmarnock, who only returned from his honeymoon earlier in the week.
He said: “It was excellent and a great day.
“We got some sunshine on the day which is unheard of in Scotland!
“We had a great day and everything went well.”
