Saturday afternoon was full of positives for Scunthorpe United.
They gunned their way to a 7-1 victory over Brigg Town, and gave 22 players 45 minutes of pre-season game time.And for Andy Dawson - who was wearing claret and blue for the first time since re-joining United from Hull City - the fact that manager Brian Laws was able to give so many players game-time following weeks of fitness training was especially important.
“It’s a good start, with 45 minutes in everybody’s legs, and that’s the main thing,” he told The Iron Player.
“Obviously it was a very difficult day, as it was red hot.
“We’ve had a good couple of weeks pre-season now, and as I say, it’s good for everyone to get 45 minutes in.
“It’s been ten or twelve weeks since some of the lads have played, so the first 45 minutes are very important.
“You can train as much as you want, but when you get out on the pitch it’s a whole different ball game.”
Thinking more specifically about the game itself, the left-back was also pleased with the manner of Scunthorpe’s display.
That’s because even though United were expected to win the match, the professional way in which they did so said much about their character looking ahead to the season.
“It went well, and everybody’s looking fit and strong,” he assessed.
“Brigg came and had a real good go at us, and there was a good turnout, which is obviously good for Brigg.
“Any friendly you want to win, and obviously we should be coming here and beating Brigg.
“But it was an all-round winning day for everybody, really.
“It was nice to score early, and then to keep possession.
“I think that when we did that, we were fairly comfortable.
“But, to be fair to us, the attitude was there from all of the lads, and we kept going.”
See much more from Andy Dawson, Michael Collins and Brian Laws on The Iron Player.