A number of development squad members featured at Fylde
Despite slipping to a narrow defeat at Kellamergh Park on Thursday evening, manager Graham Alexander was pleased to see the younger members of his squad impress.The Cod Army boss gave opportunities to a number of Barry Nicholson’s development squad, and believes playing with the more senior members of the team will benefit them.
Debuts were handed to the likes of new signings Amari’i Bell, Declan McManus, Eggert Jonsson and Jimmy Ryan, while striker Jamille Matt returned after a long absence.
Town head to Germany on Sunday for a week’s pre-season tour, with a couple of games against Borussia Dortmund B and Alemannia Aaachen in the diary.
Alexander said: “You can look at the result and say we were disappointed to lose 1-0 but we were using it as an extra training session at the end of the day.
“We had this game early on in pre-season so the lads can gauge where they are, and it was a great workout for us as Fylde are a good team.
“They’ve got some good young players who are fit and it was a tough test, but there were a lot of positives for us as we integrated the younger players with the senior ones.
“It’ll take time for them to get used to it as they’re slightly out of their comfort zone but I thought they handled themselves really well.
“It was great to see Jamille Matt back out on the pitch as well. He got a good 35 minutes under his belt and showed some good touches.
“The game was a process of building up to the start of the season, and it was a good first step for us against competitive opposition.
“We’ll look at a few things when we’re out in Germany as it’ll be important for the new lads to get to know the players they’re playing with.
“August 8th is what we’re aiming for and we want everyone to be as fit as possible and for the lads to know how we want to play.
“We’re virtually rebuilt half the squad so it’s a step by step process. I think the young lads will take a lot out of being in the same team as the senior players.
“It’ll be great for their experience to see the level they’re at and to see how far off it they really are. If they’re at that level then they’ll stay there.”