Derby County’s new central defender Mike te Wierik was relieved to be back out playing as he helped the Rams to a 2-1 pre-season friendly victory over Sky Bet League One side Peterborough United on Wednesday afternoon.


Siriki Dembélé had given Posh the lead at St George’s Park inside the opening two minutes of the game, but Derby found the equaliser soon after as Louie Sibley’s deflected effort found its way past goalkeeper Christy Pym.

The Rams completed the turnaround soon into the second half as Festy Ebosele got his name on the scoresheet, capping off a lovely flowing move.

But for te Wierik, it was just a relief to get back to playing football as he has missed the last five months following the Coronavirus outbreak.

His season for FC Groningen was cut short as the Eredivisie was curtailed earlier this year, prior to his move to Derby, and it’s made for a couple of frustrating months for the Dutchman.


However, he managed to get 45 minutes under his belt, playing the second half against Darren Ferguson’s Peterborough side and he felt good being back amongst the action.

“It was very good to be back out on the pitch,” he told RamsTV. “It’s not only my first Derby game but it’s my first game in six months and I’m really happy to be back out there on the pitch.

“I’ve never had an injury and I’m lucky with that so it has been six months and is really strange.

“I have been here since June 2nd and I’ve been training with the lads. I couldn’t play the last couple of games but finally I can now play.”

And the 28-year-old is hoping to make up for lost time. With the new Sky Bet Championship season set to start on 12th September, and the Carabao Cup beginning a week earlier, the Dutchman cannot wait to start playing competitively for the Rams.

“I want to play,” he said. “I talked to Chris [van der Weerden], the coach, and I’m happy I can play the pre-season games, but you want to play the real games now.

“I am really looking forward to playing the competition games and that is only three or four weeks away now and it’s going quick and I’m really looking forward to it.”


Whilst it has been a frustrating time off the field for te Wierik, he has settled into life at Pride Park Stadium comfortably, owing to the extended time he has had with his teammates.

“It makes it much easier that I’ve been here for two months now,” he admitted.

“The boys made me feel comfortable and try to help me every time and I really appreciate that. I feel very well and finally I can play and I’m very happy.”