By his own admission, Matej Vydra didn’t showcase his best form during his debut season with Derby County, but in 2017/18, he believes that he produced the best campaign of his career so far.


With 22 goals, the season was Vydra’s joint-best in terms of goalscoring and it was enough to win Golden Boot, as well as helping the Rams to secure a place in the top-six and a shot at promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.

In the end, it wasn’t to be, but the forward is proud to have proved his worth to the Derby faithful with his dramatic improvement this year.

He told RamsTV: “Last year, nobody really knew about me but I have tried to do my best all season and I think that it has become the best season of my career so far.

“Last season wasn’t my best and I said that I have to be better and show my best performances.

“I’ve never won the golden boot before, but it’s not about my statistics, I always want the team to win and if I can score then it is amazing for me.”


There were several memorable moments for Vydra to savour throughout the campaign. His goal after just 24 seconds in the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Forest in October will live long in the memory.

He bagged his first ever league hat-trick with a treble at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough back in November, and he equalled his best ever seasonal tally of 22 goals in all competitions with his strike against Barnsley on the final day of the regular season.

Vydra believes that he is best suited to a position behind the striker, and he is pleased to have been given the opportunity to showcase his talents and help his teammates in his preferred role.

He said: “I have been playing in the No.10 role and that gave me the confidence on the pitch, and the players help as well because they try to find me in good positions.

“When the team plays well, the individuality can come out and I try to do my best.”

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