Manager Paul Cox insists there are plenty of positives to be taken from Saturday’s first Pre-Season outing, which saw us held to a 0-0 draw by Naxxar Lions.
Cox used 20 players during the encounter, opting to field an almost entirely different xi in each half, but despite dominating we couldn’t make a break-through.
Striker Ben Hutchinson twice came close inside the opening half-an-hour, whilst Jamie McGuire saw a vicious well-struck shot saved after the interval.
After the match, our boss said: “We came up against a really stubborn side. There were things we really need to improve on but I thought our fitness levels were really good.
“If you look at players like Matt Rhead and Ben Hutchinson, their body shape is a lot better than it was this time last year.
“We mixed the two sides up and it’s given me a look and it just shows you what we could do with bringing in, but I thought the lads worked hard and they’ve worked hard all week.
“We looked a little bit rusty in the last third, but we’ve kept a clean sheet and I can’t remember the opposition having a shot on target throughout the game.
“It was a small tight little pitch on a 3G surface that’s hard to play on, but it’s all about conditioning,” added our boss.
Reports suggest that an estimated 500 supporters have made the trip to Malta and Cox concluded: “I was pleased with the following. It’s always nice when a number of people follow you, and I hope they’ve enjoyed it.”
Our Pre-Season programme continues with a trip to Worksop Town on Wednesday (kick-off 7.30pm).
