Darrell Clarke's return to the home dugout at The Memorial Stadium was not a winning one. However, there were plenty of positives his Bristol Rovers side could take after playing Sky Bet Championship team Coventry City.
The Sky Blues dominated the chances in the first half, with Brandon Thomas-Asante testing Luke Southwood one-on-one, but apart from that, the visitors' chances were largely limited.
However, Rovers' resistance was broken after the break, with a much-changed, fresh-legged Coventry side scoring twice to collect the victory. The fixture against Coventry was the Pirates' toughest test in pre-season on paper, with the Sky Blues finishing inside the playoffs last term in the Championship before losing to Sunderland at the semi-final stage.
Speaking to BRTV after the fixture, Clarke was impressed with the defensive display of his side and pinpointed areas requiring improvement before stressing the building blocks are still being put in place.
Defeat here at The Mem today. How do you reflect on that one?
"A real tough workout for us, that’s the reason we’ve got two Championship teams in the last two games, because we want to get the lads' fitness levels up.
"I thought we defended strongly for a lot of the game. We had to face a lot of talented players; they made ten changes at half-time. But we have got to be miles better on the ball. We know that we’re trying to get the basics into the boys and the slow building blocks, trying to get ready for August 2."
When you play Championship teams, is that where you tell the boys to aspire to be?
"You’ve got to suffer. That’s the whole point to be able to suffer, what I’m expecting further forward is to make sure to look after transitions better and look after the ball and have a better build than we did today.
"We finished the game with three young lads in the team today as well, so there are plenty of things to be positive about without the ball, but with the ball, we know we’ve got to get miles better."
Especially in that first half, it did feel like you limited a talented Coventry side's chances?
"We looked strong defensively. I think there was one ball that came through the middle off us, to be honest with you. As the game goes on, there are a few changes taking place, and we didn’t have the control we would like to have had, but with the greatest respect, we won’t be playing against Coventry in League Two this season."
When they make that many changes at half-time, and they get completely new, fresh legs, that must make it difficult, but a challenge that you thrive in as well.
"The reason that we have these two games is to make sure that we get fully fit, as fitness levels are key. We’ve got to get players fit. It’s been a pre-season program where we have had many players who missed a lot of last season, so we need to make sure that we build their minutes up and build the training sessions up. I always say with preseason games that we need to get as many fit bodies as we can come August 2."
Do you feel, with one pre-season game left, that you are starting to see what you want your team to look like?
"Nowhere near what I want my team to look like, and things like that don’t happen overnight. There are positives without the ball tonight, not so many with the ball, but plenty of work in progress.
"It’s about building blocks and the work we are doing and what the boys are taking onboard. Like I said to the players, we don’t take a lack of confidence from that. We take the confidence of the work off the ball and the fitness levels that we gained, and then we will work harder to make sure we look after that ball a hell of a lot better."
From a personal point of view, your first game in the home dugout again, back at The Mem. How did it feel?
"Yeah, it’s great to be back at The Mem, but it will be great when the real stuff starts. Pre-season games are what they are; it's another worthwhile exercise for us, but we are building towards Saturday and for when the real stuff starts."
