It’s great to be back on pitch and I’m happy

ERIK DURM was delighted to come through his Town debut unscathed, even if the result was not what he wanted.

The 26-year-old World Cup-winning defender played 77 minutes of the 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Stoke City – his first competitive action in well over a year.

Sidelined by hip and ankle ligament injuries at Borussia Dortmund, the talented full back is eager to make the most of this fresh chance with Town in the Premier League.

He had no hesitation in joining boss David Wagner on just a one-year contract, with the club having the option of extending for a further 12 months, and he believes those minutes at the bet365 Stadium, even in defeat, were important ones from a personal point of view.

“For me it was special (to play),” said Durm, who was a World Cup winner with Germany in 2014.

“I don’t know for sure, but I guess I was out 16 months since my last official game.

“It has been a hard time for me, so I am happy to be back on the pitch and back in the team.”

Durm made his last appearance for Borussia Dortmund as a substitute in the German Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt on May 27, 2017.

He played only briefly for Town in pre-season but has been showing up strongly in training and was always targeted to play against Gary Rowett’s newly-relegated Championship side.

“I think we have a lot of good guys in the team and I think almost everyone is back now, so it’s good competition,” he told HTTV.

“It’s helpful when you have a lot of players with power and now we have to go forward to Everton and look to get our points on the board in the Premier League.

“We are disappointed and upset to lose in the Cup, but from now on we are focused only on Everton, because it is important for us to get points in the Premier League.”

Durm, who began his career at Mainz before moving to Dortmund and has seven caps for Germany, says that while results have made for a disappointing start to the season, the squad remain determined to turn things around.

“Togetherness is very important and we have a great team with great characters,” he explained.

“I know we will stick together as a team, because this is what this team is about.

“I have no doubt we will stick together. Everything is fine and we will go on.”

On the Cup exit, Durm added: “I think it was a very tough game against a very strong and physical team.

“We tried to play as hard as them and I think the first half was okay.

“We made some easy mistakes when we went to go forward, which was not so good, and we are all disappointed that we haven’t gone to the next round.”