Boston United Football Club

That’s the view of Pilgrims’ assistant manager Graham Hyde after watching United turn in a solid effort despite going down 2-1 to Mansfield Town.

The second-in-command to Jason Lee said: “We are continuing to learn more about the players. We’ve had a really busy schedule lately and are now in a position to see where we can improve after four games in seven days.

“We feel that everyone has applied themselves really well and it has given us a lot of food for thought in terms of the shape and system we want to adopt.

“Obviously there is still a bit of time to go, but in two weeks’ time we will be more than ready. There are good options in our squad and a fair bit of strength in depth. I think we just need to look at putting the final touches to a few things before the opening match against Droylsden comes around.”

Reflecting on the performance against Mansfield, Hyde said: “Overall, it was a useful exercise. We went 4-4-2 in the first half and switched to 4-3-3 in the second period. And I think the change worked for us.

“In the first half we had a few problems and weren’t at our best. Possibly we were lucky to be just 2-0 down at the interval. But we were really pleased with the second half performance. We looked good going forward and in the end might even have pinched a draw.”