Darren Wassall told RamsTV that he is looking forward to pitting Derby County’s young players against Real Union in the inaugural Steve Bloomer Trophy match this coming Tuesday.
The Rams fly out to Irun in Northern Spain today as part of four-day trip, which will result in Derby taking on the Segunda División B club at their Stadium Gal home, which has a 5,000 capacity and is only a short distance from the French border.
With so much history surrounding the person behind the cup, Wassall, Derby’s academy director, says that whilst it may not be a Premier League 2 fixture, it is still an important game for his young players.
He said: “We travel away on Sunday and it’s going to be a really important fixture for the whole club – there’s a lot of history with regards to the person behind the trophy.
“Real Union have been really accommodating in terms of preparing for the game and for us flying out there.
“As a group, we’re looking forward to seeing our young players pit themselves up against a Division Three Spanish side and these are occasions that we really look forward to.”
More than anything, Wassall also feels his players will gain ‘a bit of everything’ from the trip.
In recent years, the Rams’ Under-23s have headed out to Valencia and Lisbon from training camps and Wassall has always said that you learn more about your players during those trips away from the confines of Derby.
Ultimately, he feels this latest venture will prove to be hugely beneficial once again.
Wassall added: “You learn more about the players after three or four days abroad than you often in three months in this country.
“It’s a time for everyone to come together to play against a different type of opposition, a different set of tactics, a different culture and environment, but it’s also good for team building.
“The players get a bit of everything from these trips and they have the chance to test themselves against good opposition as well.
“It will be different, but this is what we want to give our players. We want them to have as many different experiences as possible because that’s the only way you are going to prepare for the taking that next step in your career.
“The Real Union game will be a really good test for all of us.”
Keep fully up to date with how Derby get on out in Spain on dcfc.co.uk and RamsTV.
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