Derby County defender Jake Rooney says he was 'made up' to get his first league start of the 2023/24 season last Saturday.
The centre-back, who turned 20 this week, was thrown into his first start of the campaign against Fleetwood Town at Pride Park Stadium and helped the Rams to a vital three points in Sky Bet League One in the 1-0 win over Fleetwood Town.
Speaking to RamsTV ahead of Saturday's away fixture at Peterborough United (3pm kick-off), Rooney reflected on the Fleetwood game and looked ahead to the meeting with Darren Ferguson's side.
On having a full week of training...
It's given us a good few days to prepare for what is a big game on Saturday but I think all the lads are raring to go and everyone is looking forward to it.
On the first home win last Saturday...
It was massive for us. To get that three points is massive at Pride Park and I'm happy that I was in the starting line-up to help the lads towards that.
On his first league start of 2023/24...
I was made up to get my first start and to do it at home with the fans behind me. I had an alright game too so I was really pleased that we got the three points and a clean sheet.
On Paul Warne's trust in him...
It's brilliant to hear that he trusts me, especially for a lad of my age. It's good to know he can put me in in the big games when he needs to so it gives me a lot of confidence going into the games like Peterborough on Saturday.
On the preparation for this season...
Last year I was able to get a few games under my belt but to have a big pre-season behind me this summer with the boss has made me a lot more prepared. Everyone has settled in very quickly and it's nice to not be the new boy and have players asking me questions for a change rather than the other way around.
On facing Peterborough United...
It's always been a tough place to go. We had a good game there last year and we started off well before losing, but it's vital we go there and earn the right to play and try and bring home the three points. It's going to be tough but the lads are more than capable of it.
Once we find the momentum like we did last year we'll be really good and it's just important that we get the win on Saturday and kick on from there.
