Manager Graham Alexander is looking forward to the Iron's first friendly of pre-season away at Stamford AFC.
The boss feels it will be good for his players to get back out on the football pitch after a lengthy summer break.United line up to face the Daniels on Friday evening (7pm kick-off), and Alexander believes it will be a boost for everyone to put themselves in a matchday mindset once more.
Alexander told The Iron PlayerHD: “We’re all gearing up for the game, and it’ll be good for the lads to get their pads on, get their match kit on and feel like a footballer again.
“Pre-season can be tough physically, but it can be tough mentally as well. We’ve challenged them but, to be fair, they've been up for it. I remember when I was a player, I couldn’t wait to get to the first pre-season game, and feel like a footballer once more.”
Another added bonus in the 44-year-old’s eyes is he’ll get the chance to see just where his squad is at in terms of physical condition, following a week-and-a-half of tough training.
“It also gives the players an early indication of where they are because, when it’s just training and fitness tests, you can think you’re at a certain level and the match shows you where you are really,” he said.
“It’s always a little shock to the system the first game, you have to get your second wind. It’s seen as an extension of the training day, because we will be training on Friday morning and on the Saturday when we get to Austria."
Alexander confirmed every member of the squad will play some part in the match, with him going on to reveal he’ll opt to rotate things heavily at the half-way stage.
He said: “Everyone will play, they’ll all play 45 minutes, so it’ll be two different teams. One obviously in the first half and one in the second.
“They will have worked hard that day anyway, and with it being their first game you don’t want to overwork them. But, like I said, everyone will get their pads on, get their kit on and play some football.
“They’ll all have a chance to gauge themselves and it’s the start of the bedding-in process of how we look to go tactically, and they’re all looking forward to it.”
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