Coventry Sphinx manager Luke Hopkins has said that he is pleased with the way pre-season is going.
Hopkins told the Sphinx website: "On the whole pre-season has gone very well
"I was very impressed with the condition that the lads returned in after we made the decision to start two weeks later this year than normal and asked the lads to have a higher level of personal fitness coming back allowing us to cut out the running they all hate and straight into the football.
"I can say it's been a 100 per cent success and a great way of building trust right at the start.
"With the way, holidays fell it gave us a chance to work and have a look at some of the youth lads as the club policy remains to develop them and progress them.
"Last season will be a very tough act to follow where 11 players played youth and first team football.
"I've always judged a good team by getting two lads into the first team and playing and as well as coupling them with a few from previous years we were young last year first team wise.
"We played Racing Warwick and Folly Lane - two different types of games and two different styles of play and atmospheres created but its only in the different situations you start to see real true characters of players and so thank you to both Michael and Scott for bringing teams up to the club and giving us good games.
"With the lads back off holidays and in good shape we went into the game against Chasetown and with the player management movements in the summer ,it was a game that both sides wanted to win and it was showed in the starting line ups and the tempo of the game in the first twenty minutes.
"That was a brilliant work out and the speed of the game was very good which is sometimes hard to get in pre-season but it certainly got the lads where they needed to be, again thank you for Dave bringing a team over to us and hope it was as helpful to you as us..
"Then Worcester on Saturday which was a good workout, the team they sent was young but that was no disrespect from them, other issues such as county games on Monday, fixtures mixed up and a change of dates meant it was a split squad, but a very good workout and played in a good manner. Again thank you to Worcester for that which seems to be a good annual test for us.
"We carry on with our pre-season sessions this week and welcome Barwell on Friday and a change of Cadbury instead of Chesterfield on Monday.
"Managerial changes at Chesterfield have meant the game was no longer what they wanted. Thank you to Cadburys, who have stepped in after we pulled out of the game in the opening week of pre-season.
"Player wise there has been large changes in the squad and this is a massive bonus for the club.
"Players from last season such as your Jackson Downie, Luke Downes, Jack Rooney and Jacob Dodds will progress and benefit from playing with players like Robbie Banks, Mitch Piggon, Richard Blythe and Lewis McBride, also lifts the pressure off Ash Jackson, Carl O'Neill, Matty Taylor to allow them to play and as the saying goes, good players play better with better players.
"We've also brought in some others, Mitch Thompson, he needs a full season of playing and winning and he might realise his full potential, then Tom Bates, very very talented and a wizard of a left foot, I don’t think there's been anyone who has played with him and not thought, wow this lad can play, tremendous attitude as well.
"Also Jack Jeys and Big Myles Jones have signed forms adding to the squad strength and depth. Kyle Bishop is working his way back to full fitness after an a nasty injury, but once there adds another option.
"We have some 2nd year youth lads who already have plenty 1st team experience in Kyle Jaynes, Callum Drake and Jack Downes who will be in the squad and all capable of playing there part as well as leading the youth team again to some silverware we hope.
"Management wise, myself and Herbs have added Dave 'Gorgeous' Rogers and Graham 'Smiler' Walker to the coaching team, Chris Sharp comes in with the medical side of the team and also Tony and George the Kit men. I'm sure you will be hearing a lot more about George as the season goes on, the lads seem to have taken a shine to him!!
"Thank you for the support we have had and hopefully we will continue with a good pre-season and keep taking the positive points and it will help set us up for what is a tough start league and FA Cup but it's something that will stand us in good stead if we can get off to a good start in August."