Conor McGrandles believes City’s pre-season preparations have left the squad in a strong physical position as the countdown to the Sky Bet Championship campaign enters its final weeks.
The midfielder says the players are in excellent condition after a productive summer programme, with the focus now on building match sharpness through the final pre-season fixtures.
McGrandles and 21 of his team-mates played 45 minutes each at Grimsby Town as head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw continued to manage workloads across the group.
He said: “Everyone came back in great condition and I thought everyone got through their 45 minutes well.
“We’ve got another game on Saturday, hopefully we’ll get more minutes into our legs and continue building that match sharpness before the season starts.”
While City were beaten at Grimsby Town, by a Mariners side who named their strongest XI from the off, McGrandles said the dressing room remains confident after wins over Boston United and Mansfield Town earlier in pre-season.
He added: “We want to perform in every single game and, in pre-season, these matches can help you earn your place in the team, so everyone wants to put in a good performance.
“The fans came here in great numbers for a pre-season friendly and we really appreciate that support. We wanted to get back to producing the performances and results we showed last season. We’re all positive about this season and really confident.”
City round off their pre-season programme on Saturday with split-squad fixtures against Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley, allowing the players to continue building valuable minutes before competitive action begins on Saturday 8 August with a trip to Derby County in the Carabao Cup.
Head coach Chris Cohen added: “Pre-season can be difficult because not everyone gets 90 minutes. We’ve planned it so everyone gets a full game on Saturday. It’s important they get those minutes into their legs, hearts and minds before the season starts.
“We understand it’s pre-season and there are no points on the line, but we’ve got a group of winners in that dressing room, so this isn’t a feeling we enjoy. If we’re going to lose a game, we’ve got to make sure we improve because of it. That’s our job over the next few days - to analyse every aspect of the performance and make sure we’re better on Saturday.”
