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John Eustace says Charlie Taylor's experience will benefit Derby County as they strive for another successful season in the Championship. The former Leeds defender is one of four signings made by the club so far having signed on a one-year contract following his exit from Southampton. Taylor has played more than 170 Premier League games and was a title winner with Burnley in the second tier under now-Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany. He made his second appearance of pre-season on Tuesday night when he faced Rotherham United before being replaced at half-time following a strong 45 minutes. Eustace likes a balance of senior pros to balance out the younger players in his squad and Derby's head coach believes Taylor will bring plenty of know-how. "I think we brought him to the club because of his experience," he said. "Derry Murkin is obviously injured, and he had back surgery, so we are light in that area. "We've got Craig Forsyth to cover left back and left centre-back, so the club decided to bring him in as experienced cover. We have to remember he's also played for some very good teams at this level, and I think he's going to certainly help the dressing room on that side." Taylor will hope his experience can help Derby make a winning start to the new campaign which kicks off against fellow Championship side Lincoln City at Pride Park. Eustace says he will try to help give more minutes to the players, but is determined to book a place in the second round. "I think where we are, we've got to use the game obviously to try and get minutes in the legs for players to get fit as well. "We have got players coming back from injury, and it's important that we give them the right minutes. "But it's also a game that we want to win, of course, we do. It's our first competitive game at home, and we're up against a really difficult opponent. "It was a fantastic performance from them last season, and they're going to come full of energy, they're, you know, coached very well as well, so we know it's gonna be a really difficult start for us."