Manager Paul Hurst was pleased with the endeavours of his side in their 1-0 pre-season friendly home loss against Premier League side Leicester City.
Ayoze Perez netted the decisive goal during the first-half for a strong top flight team that United competed well with throughout.
Hurst told iFollow Iron: “As we expected, it was a really tough match, but it certainly tested us in terms of organisation and trying to hang on in a game we realistically would be second best in for large parts with the quality on show from Leicester.
“It was a test but credit to the players for the effort they did put in. Physically I’m sure when we get the data it would have been a good night from a fitness exercise.
“There were a few good bits of play but mainly it was testing us in terms of making sure we were defensively sound. In the first-half we had a spell where Jake (Eastwood) had to make a few too many saves, while in the second period not as many. That could be down to the changes but I think we did improve slightly in terms of being a bit more understanding of how to play against the system.
“Some have played 90 minutes, while others have played less. We’ll look to change things around for Saturday (against West Bromwich Albion at Glanford Park) and a few lads will play at Boston (in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup first round) on Wednesday. It’s all about getting minutes.
“It was a big ask for some lads but they kept going and in the end we could have almost had an equaliser, which would have been totally undeserved but if you’re ever in a game and finding it tough it shows the value of staying in it and not getting the white flag out. I think the lads certainly kept trying, but they came up against some real quality players.
“It’s minutes in people’s legs, getting various partnerships going on the pitch and the lads will certainly sleep well tonight.”
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