Cooper: I would rather we were uncooked and fit
Yeovil Town manager Mark Cooper gave the kind of interview you would expect after seeing his side pick up a 1-0 win in their opening pre-season friendly at Exmouth Town on Saturday.
The Glovers’ boss saw summer signing Tahvon Campbell score the game’s only goal after eight minutes against the Southern League Division One South side, but his interest was only in building the fitness of his players.
Speaking to the club’s social media, he said: “Pre-season is about trying to get some fitness, it is our fourth session – Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and today. It is still really early but there were some really good bits, there are some bits we have got to tidy up on but we could have scored six or seven, their goalkeeper was outstanding. The main thing was to get everyone through without any injuries which we have managed to do, then rest up (on Sunday) and get ready for a tough week next week.”
Alongside Campbell, the other new arrivals, winger James Daly and defender Kyle Ferguson, got 45 minutes of action as did six trialists. Former Bristol Rovers striker Jevani Brown and midfielder Luke McCormick and Bristol City right-back Joseph James all played the first half, with ex-Swindon Town forward Abu Kanu, Plymouth Parkway frontman Kieran Edworthy and midfielder Teo Kurtaran, who played last season in the Polish second division, all turned out for the second 45 minutes.
Cooper said he had seen enough for his new players, although there was nothing significant said about whether the trialists were expected to return for training next week ahead of the visit to Sherborne Town for the next friendly on Wednesday night.
He said: “It is going to take time for the new lads to gel in, but the more games we play, the more they are going to get better and better. You saw glimpses of little bits and pieces.”

Asked whether the start to the campaign was early, the manager said: “We thought we were going to have a bigger recruitment drive, so the more games we got gives us a chance to bed those newer players in. I think players will prefer playing games to training in pre-season. I would rather get to the first game of the (league) season with us a little uncooked but everybody fit rather than going hell for leather and getting everybody injured. Apart of Harv (ey Greenslade) with a dislocated finger (on Friday) we have got everybody through the first four sessions.”
Read what you like in to the comment about having “a bigger recruitment drive“, but pre-season seems to have started around the same time as it did 12 months ago. The first friendly then saw the Glovers take on Melksham Town on 9th July, so they are four days earlier this year.