City striker Freddie Draper he’s feeling fitter by the day, after the Imps further stepped up their pre-season preparations with a behind-closed-doors test against Huddersfield Town on Friday afternoon.
Draper found himself on the scoresheet and assisted a goal for Reeco Hackett, with head coach Michael Skubala naming completely different XIs for 60 minutes each.
The game at the Elite Performance Centre was played in hot conditions, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius.
Draper said: "The conditions were very tough to play in but I think, especially in pre-season, you really want to be tested, so from that point of view, it was a really good exercise for us.
“It was a good test against a side in our league who are going to be very competitive. It was good to get a goal, but the main thing was that we got through the 60 minutes with no injuries.
“I’m feeling fitter day by day and we’re looking to step it up again next week. The minutes are getting higher and it has been a really good test so far.”
The fixture with the Terriers was City’s last game before jetting off for a week-long pre-season training camp in Portugal and Draper is looking forward to what he described as an important part of pre-season.
He added: “I’m looking forward to it and so are the rest of the lads. The weather is going to be really hot out there, so again, it’ll be another big test for us.
“These trips are really important for us to bond as a team, especially for some of the newer lads as well.
“It is always good from a team perspective to spend time together and bond. We’ve got another game while we’re out there too, so that’ll be another chance to get some minutes under the belt.”
Back Freddie and the lads with a Gold Membership in 2025/26!