Stags’ midfielder Kevan Hurst said today’s 1-1 draw with Alfreton Town was good preparation for the club’s opening Sky Bet League Two match against Newport County.
Alfreton Town frontman Adam Priestley equalised for the home side in the 29th minute after Stags’ striker Matt Green had opened the scoring inside the opening five minutes at the Impact Arena.
And summer acquisition Hurst said Alfreton’s style of play is similar to Newport’s, which will help the Stags prepare for the threat of the Exiles.
“[It was] definitely a good workout. It’s more realistic to what we’re going to come up against,” Hurst said.
“Alfreton are a good outfit, they’re strong up top, they like to get the ball forward, as do Newport, so it’s kind of a good workout for us.
“Today, I thought we were founding wanting defensively in our shape. We didn’t deal with things as quickly as we should’ve done, which led to their goal, but there were some positives there; I thought we played some nice stuff at times, we just need to get it all smoothly in a balance of each [style of play].”
The 30-year-old midfielder is going into his 13th season as a professional footballer and he says this pre-season campaign is one of the most physically demanding that he’s encountered.
“I’ve had tough pre-seasons [and] this is definitely ‘up there’. But I think the running aspect of things is sort of coming down now, it’s bouncing off towards more football and the games are really putting is in a good place I think, so I think we’ll be ready for when the season comes.
“The gaffer’s got a good plan and I like the fact that he knows exactly what he wants from his players. It makes our jobs easier because obviously we can go away and focus on what needs to be done.
“In terms of fitness, I think the lads are really fit and really enthusiastic so I think we’re looking forward to the actual season getting going now.”
. Stags PlayerHDSupporters can watch Kevan Hurst’s post-match interview on
