Rovers 'raring to go' as Hyam relishes first Eustace pre-season

Dom Hyam says the Rovers squad are “raring to go” as they begin their first pre-season under John Eustace.

Eustace, who took charge in February following Jon Dahl Tomasson’s departure, guided the club to safety thanks to a memorable victory against champions Leicester on the final day.

Now, attention turns to the upcoming campaign and the squad are determined to improve on their 19th-place finish in the Championship.

“It’s huge, it’s really important for any manager who comes into a new team,” Hyam told RoversTV.

“The immediate goal was to keep the club in the league and that is done now, so hopefully (Eustace) can put across more of his ideas and the identity he wants.

“Those 20-odd games were just about staying in the league but now we can have some time on the training pitch and try to implement his ideas.”

He added: “Now, it is about knuckling down in pre-season and getting to grips with how he wants to play. I am sure he will get his players in that he wants and we are looking forward to the new season.”

Rovers’ season ended on May 4 at the King Power Stadium, although some players have been in action on the international stage since then.

Most of the squad returned for at the end of last week for testing, although Sam Szmodics and Arno Sigurdsson have been given extended leave after featuring for the Republic of Ireland and Iceland respectively.

“It’s good to be back,” Hyam smiled. “We have all had a bit of time off to see the family and a nice bit of holiday, but we are all raring to go and 10 months of madness starts here.

“I think (we needed the break), more than you realise at the time. Obviously, last season wasn’t the position we wanted to be in but hopefully we can put in a better one.

“The belief remained there throughout. There were some sticky patches, tough games and bad results but it was a collective effort.

“The manager came in with 20-odd games to go and from start to finish, it was all about the collective and how the group is more important than any individual. I think we showed that towards the end and got the job done.”

Despite the highs and lows of the past 12 months, there remains a strong togetherness in the Rovers camp.

Hyam has become a leader in the squad since his arrival from Coventry in the summer of 2022 and says everyone is “united” as they prepare for the upcoming campaign.

The defender insisted: “Even when you are not doing too well, it is a team, we are united and it is a brotherhood. We all look forward to seeing each other.

“(During the summer) it is more the Instagram stories where you see where people are going. I think Hayden Carter spent about six days in England,” he grinned. “It is good to see the boys, some tans are more questionable than others!”