3/1 To Win
Derby County’s Jacob Butterfield is refreshed and ready to tackle the rigours of another demanding Sky Bet Championship season head on.
The 27-year-old, like the rest of his team-mates, reported back for pre-season training at the Training Centre in partnership with the University of Derby ahead of the 2017/18 campaign on Thursday.
Speaking towards the end of last season, Butterfield pulled no punches in describing Derby’s campaign as a disappointing one – and insisted the upcoming season was going to be an important one.
The Rams finished in ninth spot last term, having finished fifth and reached the play-off semi-finals in 2015/16.
Each new season is a fresh start and new opportunity to impress and Butterfield feels mentally and physically refreshed to go and make his mark.
He told RamsTV: “I think the off-season is always a good time to rest, but also to reflect on the previous campaign.
“You look back and think about what you could have done better and I’ve had that chance to reflect personally.
“I feel mentally and physically fresh now so I’m looking forward to putting a positive foot forward and having a good season.”
During the players’ seven-week break, which began in early May, Butterfield married his long-term partner Hollie.
The midfielder admits to having a ‘fantastic summer’ after travelling the world on his honeymoon – but admits he’s also excited about what the future holds from a footballing perspective.
He said: “I got married and then had a honeymoon travelling around the world, which I really enjoyed, but it’s good to be back now.
“Don’t get me wrong, I had a brilliant summer, but I was anxious to get back in and get going again to have a good season. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it.”
Derby’s players will fly out to Tenerife on Sunday for a week-long training camp before returning home next weekend.
Butterfield feels a week abroad will benefit the squad, particularly with manager Gary Rowett planning a number of sessions for each day.
Rowett has been quick to praise the fitness levels of the squad after the players adhered to their off-season programmes.
Butterfield feels the Rams will, further down the line, reap the rewards of their off-season workload.
He said: “I went to Tenerife for a week and it was really hot in May, so I’m guessing it’s a bit hotter now!
“It will be a tough week with two or three sessions a day but it will be good to get to know some of the new lads and obviously get the group together.
“In terms of our fitness, we had our programmes to do over the summer and that was tough. Obviously we had a couple of weeks off after the end of the season to rest and recover mentally and physically, but then it was back to work.
“It kept us ticking along but I enjoyed doing it and I am determined to have a good season, so I was happy to do the work to have the best chance of achieving that.”
He added: “We had to do the work but it’s for our benefit at the end of the day. It’s not one of them where it was ever a punishment, it was just to give us the best chance of doing well individually and collectively.”
“I think with the work that we’ve done, like the manager wanted, it was so we could get the balls out quicker and start doing football work as soon as possible and not having to spend two or three weeks getting to a certain fitness level.”
