Derby County midfielder Max Bird believes Craig Forsyth deserves his Testimonial Game on Saturday 'so much' for everything he's given to the club over the years.
The long-serving defender will mark over a decade with the Rams in his celebratory match against Sky Bet Championship side Stoke City on Saturday (3pm kick-off) and Bird says the whole squad are 'buzzing' for him.
Speaking to RamsTV, Bird reflected on Forsyth's incredible career with Derby to date and looked ahead to the game itself.
On Craig Forsyth being a constant since his debut in 2017...
I'm sure all the guys would say the same thing - what a bloke.
I've formed a really close relationship with him over the last two years especially but since my debut he's always been there for me and put his arm around me.
He's taught me a lot of things like other senior professionals that have been here like Curtis Davies but Fozzy is such a great bloke and a great guy and he deserves what he is getting on Saturday.
On how happy he and the squad are the Fozzy has been awarded a Testimonial...
He deserves it so much. What he's done for the club has been fantastic and it hasn't been easy for him with the three long-term injuries that he has had.
Through the highs and the lows he's been here and supported the club and put in some unbelievable performances in that time.
Every season I've been involved with the first team he's been a great figure to have on the pitch and in the changing room.
On Forsyth's ability to bounce back from injuries...
Mentally it's very challenging but to have that strength to come back three times and to carry on playing at the levels he is, it's a testament to him. Every player in the changing room is buzzing for him. We want to win the game against Stoke as well but it's all about Fozzy first and foremost.
On facing Stoke City on Saturday...
I think we've been OK so far in pre-season and this will be a step up. We've got a lot of new faces so they are still bedding in. There were some good bits in the game at Chesterfield on Wednesday but we weren't on song and we weren't at our best. I think with the new faces we have to stick together and keep learning and adapting to each other whilst building relationships on and off the pitch.
On the returning to Pride Park Stadium...
I'm very much looking forward to it as it has been a long time since we played there in April. Hopefully there will be a lot of people there that can support Fozzy and the team. We'll need the supporters this season like last and it's important we try to entertain them and show them what we're about.
