Thu 10 Jul - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 6mins
Assistant Head Coach Matt Gardiner has enjoyed getting down to work with Derby County’s squad as their preparations for the upcoming 2025/26 Sky Bet Championship campaign continue to gather pace.
Derby’s players reported back for pre-season testing at the University of Derby two weeks ago today and they are now approaching the end of their second full week on the training pitches at Moor Farm.
The build-up to the new season will crank up another notch on Saturday 12th July when the Rams head to local non-league side Matlock Town to kick off their pre-season games programme (1pm kick-off).
While there has been a clear emphasis on ensuring the players are in top condition from a physical perspective, it has been a key time for Head Coach John Eustace and his staff to instil the key principles expected of the side when the campaign gets started in August.
Gardiner, as well as First Team Coach Keith Downing, joined Derby alongside Eustace from Blackburn Rovers in February of this year and the backroom team was later bolstered by the additions of now Senior Transition Coach Jake Buxton and Head of Goalkeeping Paul Clements.
Under Eustace’s guidance, Derby clawed their way out of the Championship relegation zone to finish the 2024/25 campaign in 19th spot, a point clear of the bottom three, and retain their place in English football’s second tier for another year.
A miraculous run of form saw the Rams go from seven points adrift at the bottom of the table in early March to safety inside two months, offering a real sense of optimism for the future to the club’s loyal fanbase.
After such a dramatic turnaround in fortunes on the pitch, the focus is now on the future for everyone of a Derby County persuasion.
Speaking to RamsTV about pre-season so far, Gardiner said: “The obvious thing you want to get out of pre-season is the fitness aspect, but I think it's more the football fitness as well.
“From the coaching principles we initially embedded last year, now it is about an evolution, and it gives us all a chance to get them across in pre-season.
“There’s a big focus on the conditioning and how we're going to play, so the players know their roles in and out of possession.
“When we've got the ball and when we haven't got it, what the players’ individual roles within the unit and for the team is a key element.”
He added: “Everyone's been working really hard, and we've got time to embed those coaching principles and really think about giving the opportunity of how we're going to play this year.
“These six weeks are a really good time to embed that. It has been nice to plan and progress it as we go through pre-season. Everyone's looking forward to getting some minutes on Saturday.”
Gardiner is an experienced coach with 15 years of experience under his belt at the age of 51.
He still gets a buzz out of returning to work for pre-season and playing a key role in the development of the team and the individuals within it.
While there is plenty more hard work to get through, Gardiner is eager to see the green shoots of positivity from Derby’s training sessions so far when the group step into match situations during the next month.
Gardiner explained: “Even when I was a player, I love this time of year and seeing the players develop.
“We’re looking forward to Saturday and seeing what the lads have learned from the first two weeks.
“Our work is evolving all the time, so it's not going to be a finished article. Our objective is that first week and first game of the season, we hit the ground running.
“It's nice to have that six-week lead-up, but I think it's nice to just have a barometer, really, of where you are and then you can move on from there.”
“The lads have come back fit, in good spirits and willing to work, which is the main thing.”
He added: “There is a willingness to do the right thing and everyone wanting to support the players is key because, ultimately, it is about them performing on the pitch.
“When you see the work you’ve put in coming out in the games, that’s amazing. The players buy into it, that belief that the players get.”
Reflecting on the final three months of the 2024/25 season, Gardiner admits to being blown away by the support of the Derby faithful in helping drive the team on.
A packed-out Pride Park Stadium and sold-out away ends was a common theme during the run-in and having been well educated on the club by Eustace and former Derby Head Coach Steve McClaren in the past, Gardiner wasn’t disappointed.
“Arriving in the circumstances we did, we had a job to do,” Gardiner said. “Fortunately, we got that done. With the players, the supporters and all of the team staff around here, I've only got good things to say.
“When I went to Queens Park Rangers with Steve McClaren and John a few years ago, they always talked about Derby County. They always talked about the fanbase, genuinely, and that kind of affection.
“It kind of intrigues you. When we had the first game at home against Millwall in February and I saw the crowd, the full house and how the fans they stayed with the boys, it was kind of like: ‘wow, now I understand what they mean’.
“Even when you come back to the training ground from away games, there are fans waiting for the team. There's a willingness for the club to do well and get back to where they deserve to be.”
Reflecting on the Rams securing safety back in May, Gardiner was keen to fire the praise in the direction of the players.
Since then, there has been time for the staff to plan and prepare in typically meticulous detail for pre-season and beyond.
“First and foremost, it's about the players; they got us over the line and we were just helping them to get into that position,” he explained.
“The supporters, everyone, did a fantastic job. That was the first thing, now we've had time to plan a little bit.
“It was difficult when we first came in because normally, you're looking three or six months ahead, transfer window to transfer window or even pre-season for instance as you're coming towards the end of the season.
“However, everything was focused towards staying up. Of course you've got a contingency plan as well, so now we've got the time to get to work has been really nice.”
Gardiner has worked alongside Eustace in all his managerial positions to date at Kidderminster Harriers, Queens Park Rangers (on a caretaker basis), Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and now Derby.
The former Rams midfielder exudes calmness on the touchline, working with the players and in front of the media, no matter what the circumstances.
Gardiner says it is a quality that Eustace, who regularly wore the captain’s armband and was a leader in his playing days, also displays daily behind the scenes.
He said: “He is exactly the same and driving the standards even more.
“He's a really good guy. He's the focus on what we need to be throughout that season.
“The biggest thing I can say is whether we're on a bad set of results or a good set of results, he's very calm. He's very consistent in his behaviours, and I believe that's an excellent way to lead.
“Especially when you go into the games in the Championship. He quotes it a lot about the relentlessness of it, and it is a relentless league. That's really good for everyone to understand exactly where we are. He stays calm in those difficult moments.”
