3/1 To Win
Josh Barnes has established himself as a regular in the Derby County Under-23s side this season and he has revealed that he is using the progression of fellow goalkeeper Jonathan Mitchell as inspiration for himself.
Following some excellent performances for the young Rams so far this campaign, Barnes has been training with the first-team squad.
The 20-year-old believes that working with the senior professionals will aid the development of his own game, and he wants to emulate Mitchell’s rise to the senior ranks.
“Personally, it’s been really good working with Scott Carson and Jonny, they’ve both represented their country at varying level,” he said.
“It has been great to pick their brains, get some advice and listen to tips as I try and continue progressing.
“Jonny has developed massively over the last few years and he’s an inspiration that shows what is possible if you keep your head down.
“His attitude is exceptional too because he’s not played as many first team games as he would’ve liked, but every day he comes in raring to go and I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
As the young Rams prepare for Tuesday’s Premier League International Cup clash at home to Everton, Barnes is confident that he and his team-mates possess enough quality to gain a positive result.
Darren Bent and Luke Thomas scored as the Rams came from behind to beat Middlesbrough in the Premier League Cup last time out, but the goalkeeper wants to build on that against a strong Toffees outfit.
“We’ve faced Everton quite a few times recently and we know exactly what we’re going to get from them,” Barnes said.
“They’ll be in our faces and play like the first team do there, so we know how to handle that and hopefully we can get a positive result.”
On the season so far, he added: “It has been a good start, we didn’t expect to come away with as many points as we have in the league, but it’s been a really solid start.
“Our aim is to just improve on last season. If you told any one of the lads that we’d be sixth at the start of December, above the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, they’d have snapped your hand off.
“It’s testament to how hard the lads have worked and how much the staff have helped us through it.”
You can see Josh and the U23s in action this Tuesday (7pm) as they take on Everton at Pride Park in the Premier League International Cup.
Words: Matty Roper
