Blackett-Taylor a bright spark as Rams 'reignited' for new season

Just like that, another pre-season has come and gone and the start of the Championship season is just under a week away.

The Rams have had a relatively impressive warm up, only losing one out of their six friendlies, and one player who has particularly shone throughout all of those matches is winger Corey Blackett-Taylor.

Blackett-Taylor has had a topsy turvy Derby career so far, struggling to make himself a regular starter and being hit with injuries that have prevented him getting a consistent run in the squad.

However, in pre-season, the 27-year-old has been on the scoresheet an impressive five times, whilst also adding two assists.

The winger's fine form has almost certainly earned him a starting spot for the opening game against Stoke on Saturday, with his confident, direct approach being heavily praised by fans.

You'd struggle to name another player amongst the squad who is oozing more confidence than Blackett-Taylor right now. It will be interesting to see how he gets on when things get real at the weekend, and also what differences we see in him throughout the season under John Eustace's style of play and instructions.

Derby have strengthened their squad over the summer.

After losing key players from last season such as Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Marcus Harness and Harrison Armstrong, it was important the recruitment team were able to bring players in that would not only suit the Eustace philosophy, but also provide some much-needed depth to the squad, something which many fans feel has been missing for a number of seasons.

The signings of players such as Rhian Brewster, Patrick Agyemang, Owen Beck on loan and the return of midfielder David Ozoh on another season-long loan have impressed the Derby faithful, with the general consensus that the players coming in possess more quality than those they're replacing.

You also feel like the calibre of players we've recruited gives out a strong statement to other clubs in the division that we will no doubt be aiming for the top half, and potentially even pushing for the play off places in the coming campaign.

With Eustace taking charge of his first full season with the Rams, impressive fresh faces through the door to bolster the squad and other players looking totally reignited throughout pre-season, Derby look set for an exciting and much improved nine months of Championship chaos.

The countdown is on.

You can often catch Amelia Warren as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.