PAUL Hurst was pleased to see Grimsby Town's summer signings give fans a taste of what's to come as the Mariners kicked-off their pre-season against Cleethorpes Town.
A thousand supporters packed into Bradley Community Stadium last night as Town recorded a 3-1 victory over their near-neighbours, who play their football in the Northern Counties East League.
Afterwards, Hurst was pleased to achieve his main aim of coming through the work-out unscathed.
But it was also the performances of Jack Mackreth, Toto Nsiala and Scott Brown that gave him – and the watching crowd – cause for encouragement.
Mackreth, in particular, showed what he will offer in a bright first-half performance, while subs Nsiala and Brown slotted in well after the break as Town ran in three second-half goals.
"Jack was positive, as I expected, was nippy and sharp and got at people like we asked him to," Hurst told the Telegraph.
"He picks the ball up and is really positive with it. He certainly showed a bit of what he's about and why we brought him to the football club.
"Toto came on second half and slotted in there really well alongside Shaun Pearson, and although Browny happened to give the ball away in the lead-up to their goal, I think he showed exactly what he's all about in terms of being busy and bright.
"It was encouraging for me – and the fans – to see."
Hurst believes his squad will benefit from what was a tough 90 minutes against the Owls, as they prepare to take on Scarborough this weekend.
"Clee had a good season and just because they're lower down, it doesn't mean they haven't got lads who aren't good on the ball and work hard," he said.
"We knew it was going to be a good work-out and that's exactly what it was.
"We put out different teams in each half, we got the work-rate that we wanted from them and didn't pick up any injuries, so it was positive.
"I genuinely wasn't too worried about performances or the result, even though it's always nice to start with a win.
"There's a hell of a lot more to come yet and I'm not taking too much from it, but it was positive."
