Gary Rowett feels Derby County’s players will face a ‘different and harder challenge’ in tonight’s friendly double-header at Doncaster Rovers and Port Vale.
Derby’s boss will split his first-team squad across both matches in order to give as many players as possible the opportunity to get 90 minutes of match action under their belts.
One group will head to Sky Bet League 1 Doncaster, while the other will travel to League 2 outfit Port Vale (both 7:45pm kick-offs).
After playing 45 minutes each in the opening friendlies at Kidderminster Harriers and Macclesfield Town last week, with the exception of Jamie Hanson who played 90 minutes at Macclesfield, tonight’s matches represent a significant increase in the demands asked of the players.
Rowett also believes the results of the games will be immaterial and that the main focus is on increasing the sharpness of his squad.
He told RamsTV: “It’s going to be a different challenge.
“With the first two games being 45 minutes each, you would expect that the players will be sharp enough to cope with that.
“I think tonight will be different. We want to win all the games of course, but they are largely immaterial and after 70 minutes some players are going to find it tough.
“That’s natural because it’s their first full game. We know the opposition will look to change their team and have more energy, but this is where our boys will find their fitness by getting 90 minutes.”
He added: “It’s a harder challenge because we’re playing teams higher up in the league system.
“I’ll be at one of the games and when I get home, I’ll watch the other one!”
Rowett is convinced the likes of Craig Forsyth will benefit hugely from playing 90 minutes this evening.
He has missed most of the last two seasons with two separate long-term knee injuries, but has come through pre-season training so far unscathed.
He said: “We have people like Craig Forsyth for example that haven’t played 90 minutes for quite some time.
“It will be really good for him.”
