Tom Shaw believes City head into the start of the competitive campaign with plenty of positives to build on after concluding pre-season with games against Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley.
The afternoon success over Doncaster saw Oscar Thorn score the only goal in a 1-0 win, while summer signing Andrei Coubis made his first appearance in City colours. The evening trip to Oakwell provided a sterner test - with the Tykes claiming a 3-0 victory - before attention turns to next weekend’s Carabao Cup tie at Derby County.
Shaw said: “It was a mixed bag. There was some really good stuff and some things that have got us quite excited, but there were also areas from the Barnsley game that we need to reflect on and fix quickly ahead of Derby County.
“Barnsley’s physicality gave us a real test. The first 10 or 15 minutes were a shock to the system and we gifted them the opening goal, but that sort of challenge will benefit us because it’s the level of intensity we’re going to experience every week in the Championship.”
“We’ve got plenty to work on and plenty to think about, but we’re looking forward to Monday because it will feel like the first day of the season proper as we prepare for Derby.”
Shaw was pleased with the first outing of defender Andrei Coubis, who adapted well after a solid introduction to English football.
He said: “He got a real culture shock in the first five or 10 minutes when Doncaster came flying after him, but he grew into the game.
“Every action got better as the game went on and he looked stronger and stronger. He’s going to be a real asset for us. It’ll take a little bit of time as he adapts, but he’s got some incredible strengths and attributes that we’re excited to see develop.
“Our contracted players were very good and helped the trialists. We wanted to give them minutes because they’re currently without clubs and building their fitness, and they really helped us. Their level of performance was excellent.”
Looking ahead to the opening competitive fixture against Derby County, Shaw believes the squad has a clear understanding of the identity it wants to develop. He said: “We know what we want this football team to look like – a team you’d want to coach, a team you’d want to play in and a team you’d want to watch from the stands.
“We’ve still got a bit of work to do because there were periods against Barnsley where we weren’t at the required level, but I thought we responded well in the second half and created more pressure around their goal. We know what we want this team to become and we’ve just got a little bit more work to do.”
