Boss happy with performance despite end result
Despite slipping to a 1-0 defeat, Town boss John Still was pleased with his squad’s friendly showing against Boreham Wood.
The Hatters returned to the sizzling hot UK on Friday following a week training in similarly humid conditions in Portugal, and fell behind to what turned out to be the winning goal just five minutes in.
However, the manager has been in football long enough not to read too much into results and performances during pre-season.
“Sometimes you can get carried away about how well you do in friendlies and in training,” Still said afterwards. “It’s the same the other way round if you’re not getting results.
“I’m too old and too knowledgeable now to worry about how good or how bad training or friendlies look in pre-season.
“I think I know where we are now and where we need to get to, and I’m delighted where we are at the moment.”
For the squad’s first friendly of pre-season the boss fielded two XIs, with a younger side taking to Meadow Park pitch in the first half before a side made up of senior players competed in the second.
“It was always our intention to do it that way,” explained Still. “I wanted to see the younger lads in the first half and see where they are at.
“I wanted to see them in action and see if they are capable of pushing the senior players. That’s important.
“In the second half we had the likes of Ronnie Henry, Steve McNulty, Luke Guttridge and Jon Shaw on, so we had plenty of leaders on the pitch.
“I expected the first half to be a bit bitty and it was, but it wasn’t like that in the second half. It was much more controlled and we passed it well.
“There wasn’t a lot wrong, but could there have been anything else? Yes, I would have liked us to score a goal or two, but overall it’s a good workout.
“It’s been a good week and, to be honest, we’re further along where I thought we would be in terms of fitness, so that’s very pleasing.”
The Town picked up a few knocks with Anthony Charles, Alex Wall and Scott Griffiths all leaving the field early but none of those are considered serious.
Check out Hatters Player for interview with John Still, Hakan Hayrettin, Alex Lacey and Mark Cullen.