Badshot Lea manager Adam New saw plenty of positives after his side were beaten by Farnham Town in the Phyllis Tuckwell Trophy.
The host fielded a new-look side featuring a number of trialists and were beaten 8-1 by their higher-ranked opponents in their opening pre-season friendly, but the new Baggies boss saw plenty he could work with.
“It was always going to be a difficult start for us,” said New.
“Farnham are a well-established team so we knew it was going to be a really tough challenge, particularly with where we're at as a squad.
“We weren’t going to sit in and try to contain.
“In the first half in particular I thought we came out with some good patterns.
“There are some positive bits to take away from it.
“It’s not the day we wanted but there are definitely positives to take.
“We’ve got a young group, but we've got experience to add to that.
“There are some talented youngsters that will help us throughout the year.
“At half-time I praised them because there were some good bits, particularly building in our third to get out.
“We tried to tweak a few bits and be a bit more aggressive, which didn't quite work out how we planned, but pre-season is about getting fitness into their legs and working on patterns.”
The Baggies are back in the Combined Counties Premier Division South this season after last season’s relegation from Isthmian League South Central Division, but New insists there is no pressure on his side.
“There's no expectation or pressure for us to do anything this year,” said New.
“We obviously want to be towards the top end of the table, and that's what we'll be aiming for.
“It's very early days. This is a whole new team – I walked in with zero players at the club.”
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