Erik Pieters at the ready to boost Derby County

By Chris Dunlavy

Erik Pieters says his vast experience can help keep Derby County in the Championship after joining the Rams on a short-term deal.

The Dutch fullback, 36, was released by Luton Town in January but hasn’t played a competitive game since leaving West Bromwich Albion last summer.

He does, however, boast considerable pedigree, with over 225 Premier League appearances for Burnley and Stoke, plus 18 caps for the Netherlands.

And with Derby now on the rise after three wins from three under new gaffer John Eustace ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, Pieters is hoping his grizzled know-how can give the Rams a final push to safety.

Experience

“I’m here to play,” said Pieters, who has also played for Utrecht and PSV Eindhoven in his homeland.

“But I think I can help the team out with my experience behind the scenes.

“It’s a great group of players, a really great group.

“They’re good fun and really determined in what they do.

“I’m looking forward to being part of that, and part of my job will be helping everyone to get through these next few games, which will obviously be very important in terms of staying in the league.

“The last few weeks have been really encouraging.

“As everyone knows, it only takes a few wins on the board to get that momentum going.

“It’s a shame there was an international break in-between, but you can see that everyone is feeling good.”

Transition

Explaining how the move to Derby developed, Pieters said: “I realise I’m in a transition period in my career, but I still feel ready to play.

“And because I didn’t have clubs lining up for me, I started making calls and sending some texts out.

“Because of that, I was in contact with John when he was at Blackburn, and then out of the blue, he just got in touch.

“Obviously, I’ve been to a few other places.

“I was at Luton in pre-season, then again for a few weeks in December and January.

“Before I came here, I was training with Middlesbrough.

“Then the gaffer here sent me a text just saying ‘What is your situation?’.

“Obviously, it’s a bit closer to home than Middlesbrough, so I was like ‘Yeah, I’m still a free agent and I’m ready to go’.

“I trained with the lads, showed that I’ve still got it.

“I think the gaffer was pleased with it because here I am.”