Head coach Tom Shaw believes City’s pre-season friendly against Leyton Orient provided exactly the test his side needed as they completed their warm-weather training camp in Spain.
While the Imps ended on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat, Shaw was pleased with the physical and tactical demands of the contest, describing it as “the perfect friendly” at the end of an intensive week of work.
He said: “The level of opposition, the heat, the conditions and the fact it came at the end of a long week all made it exactly what we needed.
“The boys were playing under a bit of fatigue and we got some serious mileage into their legs. We wanted a proper physical return from the game and to take the lads to a bit of a dark place physically, and that’s what we got.”
Shaw revealed City encouraged the players to press more aggressively during the second half, even though it meant sacrificing some control, to maximise the physical benefits of the fixture.
He said: “We deliberately told the lads to go after the football and take a few more risks without the ball than we ever normally would. It made the pitch look a bit bigger, but that’s exactly what we wanted.
“There are bits you just can’t recreate. When the lads are doing their physical programmes in June, you can’t replicate those moments where it really burns and you’ve got to make contact with people.
“I thought Leyton Orient were really good with the ball, so we had to be on our mettle. There are loads of things we can learn from, but it was the perfect game.”
With another week of pre-season complete, Shaw feels the squad is continuing to make strong progress.
He said: “We’ve had lads playing who have been out for a good period of time, so it was good to see them get proper minutes in a proper game.
“The way the group has stayed together has been excellent. Callum has been amazing as a new addition as well. We’re delighted with where we’re at. We’re on the right track, things are looking positive and we’ll get ready to head back to England and kick on again next week.”
Attention now turns to a pair of behind-closed-doors fixtures, where the players are expected to increase their workloads.
“A lot of the players will get up to around 60 minutes across those two games,” Shaw said. “We’ve still got loads of technical and tactical work to do, and we’ll keep demanding that.
“We never want to lose a game of football, but there were so many positives today, both individually and collectively. This is the time to make those errors because we can reflect, learn and move forward.”
Shaw also thanked the Lincoln City supporters who travelled to Spain to back the team.
He added: “They always turn up in good numbers. It was great to hear the songs again and see some familiar faces.
“On behalf of the players, the staff and everyone at the football club, we’re hugely appreciative that they’ve taken the time, spent the money and made the effort to come over. We value that massively and we’d like to thank them very much.”