Manager Nathan Jones reflected on a positive training programme after the players spent the week in Yorkshire and finished their time away with a 4-0 pre-season victory over Rochdale.
Speaking firstly about their hosts – Queen Ethelburga’s College – he said: “It is a phenomenal place so first of all we thank the people here at the college because they have been wonderful. The facilities are world-class, and we have done some really good work. We chose this place specifically, we looked at about four or five and this is the best one.
“For me this is the most important week of pre-season in terms of getting everyone together, nailing things down and we have done really good work. We thank the board that we’re almost done recruitment wise, probably just two away from completing our squad and that is a wonderful place to be in the second week of pre-season.”
Onto the game, Jones was pleased to welcome Tom Lockyer back into the matchday squad, who played for the first time since sustaining his injury against Cardiff City back in February.
“Great to see Tom back, we gave him a little bit of time off, Joe has had another week and Slugs had another week after that. Tom wanted to get back in, he has missed a bit of football for us last year which we really regret because he was in such form before he got injured and we were really excited about him and we’re glad to have him back.
“He’s a great lad, a big part of the environment as well which we really like. He was on my quiz team, he’s not the brightest but we’ll suffer that if he puts in performances like we get from him.”
He was pleased with what he saw from all of his players, adding: “We set an environment and that can’t change, you can’t come off the gas in pre-season and pick and choose your games. You are either at it, or you are not. We have been at it in pre-season in terms of expecting a level of athleticism and quality from them.
"Not to be disrespectful but we should have had a couple more today because of the positions we got in, we should be more clinical, but nothing is won in July – apart from the Euros maybe! – but in terms of us, we are gathering speed. We played Hitchin and scored goals and then Rochdale today and scored goals.”
Finally with reference to the upcoming pre-season friendlies, including Bedford Town on Wednesday night, the gaffer said: “Some will step it up now to 60 minutes, God willing we should have another signing in the building, never know could have more, but everyone is gathering speed and it’s about getting everyone safely there. We have Amari’i Bell away and Joe Morrell comes back Monday so we’re in a better position.”