Rams Pre-Season Fixtures Announced

Derby County have announced they will take on Premiership opposition in the form of Sunderland in their penultimate friendly before the 2012/13 season after revealing their pre-season plans. The Rams` squad will start pre-season training in mid-July before their first run out against Mansfield Town. They will also take on Burton Albion, Northampton Town, Colchester United and Chesterfield before the season kicks-off on August 18th. Talking to dcfc.co.uk about the visit or Martin O`Neill`s side to Pride Park Nigel Clough said:

'Sunderland's squad contains plenty of international players such as Sebastian Larsson, John O'Shea and James McClean - who are likely to play some part in the European Championships this summer for Sweden and the Republic of Ireland. It'll be great for our fans to see them in action, while it will also be good for our players to test themselves against Premier League players."

The full pre-season schedule for the first team is as follows:

Wed 25th July Mansfield Town (A) 7.30pm
Sat 28th July Burton Albion (A) 3pm
Tues 31st July Northampton Town (A) 7.30pm
Fri 3rd August Colchester United (A) 7.30pm
Wed 8th August Sunderland (H) 7.45pm
Sat 11th August Chesterfield (A) 3pm

Whilst the reserves will also take on the following sides:
Sat 4th August Manchester City (H) 3pm
Tues 7th August Belper Town (A) 7.30pm
Weds 15th August Matlock Town (A) 7.45pm

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