GEORGE Burley may not be Fabian Wilnis' 'cup of tea' but the defender goes to Pride Park today ready to forget the past and looking towards securing three points towards a Premiership future.

GEORGE Burley may not be Fabian Wilnis' 'cup of tea' but the defender goes to Pride Park today ready to forget the past and looking towards securing three points towards a Premiership future.

Wilnis and Burley fell out when he spoke out after being substituted against Helsingborg in the UEFA Cup and was subsequently left out of the squad to play Chelsea on the following Sunday.

Wilnis was left out in the cold for some time and the relationship never really thawed, resulting in the Dutchman requesting a transfer.

The Dutchman was reinstated by new boss Joe Royle and has been a regular ever since.

Wilnis said: “I'm all over that now. It was more than a year ago and I was really hurt at the time. The way I was being treated at the time by George was the reason why I asked for a transfer, nothing to do with the club because I have always loved Ipswich.

“I knew it was not about football and I have shown since then that it was not about my football ability.

“But that is all in the past now and I don't wish anything bad on Burley. All I want to do is look to the future. I'm trying my hardest to get Ipswich back in the Premiership again, that is all I think about.

“George is not really my cup of tea but the only thing that concerns me is getting the three points.

“We are only six points off the leaders so that is the focus because we know that on any given day any team can beat any other team.”

Town have never lost at Pride Park and are determined to put things right after slipping up at home against Gillingham last week.

Wilnis said: “We would want to win at Derby anyway but after Gillingham we want to get back to winning and against a former manager that adds a bit more spice.

“We also seem to play well against Derby but there are never any guarantees. They have a lovely stadium and the pitch is brilliant so that won't be a problem for us.

“Their financial situation is worse than ours so they are relying on a lot of young players but that is something George is used to.”

The former De Graafschap defender has just nine months left on his current contract but would love to renew in the summer.

At 33 he still has all the enthusiasm of a teenager and believes physically he is as good as ever, thanks largely to fitness trainer Simon Thadani's relentless regime.

Wilnis said: “People say you get slower as you get older but I can honestly say I'm fitter and stronger now than I have ever been.

“I feel I can carry on for years and years. The stamina is as good as ever. Simon has worked miracles with some of us and sometimes I absolutely hate him for what he does.

“In pre-season he gets called all sorts but in the end it benefits you and all the extra work we do in the gym and in the running pays off and he is a great lad really.”