Conor Washington says he’s ‘delighted’ to have completed his move to Derby County and has been blown away by the first impressions of his new home.
Washington has left Sky Bet Championship side Rotherham United to join the Rams on a two-year deal, linking up with former boss Paul Warne, who he admits was a big part in him making the move.
Speaking to RamsTV after putting pen-to-paper, the striker spoke about his delight at getting the deal done.
On his move to Derby County…
I’m delighted. It’s been rumbling on for a little while but I’m delighted to finally get it over the line and make a fresh start.
On the influence of familiar faces…
I understand the expectation that the coaching staff have got on me as a player and that will be really important for me but I’ve also got Josh Vickers in the changing room, who I played with at Rotherham, and that will make settling in a little easier.
On what he can bring to Derby...
Pace, power and running in behind, which is my favourite thing to do, basically. I do my fair share of defensive work too which is important, especially for the gaffer.
I want to score more goals. It was something we were working on at Rotherham under the staff and that’s something I want to continue here.
I feel like in the right system with the right players, I will score goals.
On his previous seasons in League One…
If you take the seasons in League One in isolation, especially the ones where I was at Charlton Athletic, I played out of position a lot in systems that maybe didn’t suit me . The gaffer and the coaching staff know what I’m about and they know how to get the best out of me so hopefully that will only lead to more success and more goals.
On what it takes to win promotion…
The group is really important. You need to have the quality to get out of the division and looking around the dressing room we have that already. After that it’s just everyone pulling in the right direction and I think under the boss, who has had serious success at this level, we just have to jump on board with it and hopefully it’s a successful season for us all.
On his first impressions of Moor Farm…
It’s brilliant, it’s incredible. I’ve been lucky enough and fortunate enough to play for some good clubs but this is right up there to be fair in terms of facilities and I like it because there’s no excuses here. It’s very much, you’ve got everything available so go and make it happen on the pitch and I think as a group that’s what we’ve got to do.
On Pride Park Stadium…
It’s a tough place to play for an away player. It’s always a place I’ve really enjoyed. Pride Park’s atmosphere is fantastic and the average attendance here is ridiculous. As players we need to make it a fortress and get the fans on our side with positive results.
