Mangan looking forward to tough test at Solihull
Town take on Solihull Moors on Saturday in the latest pre-season game and it is one that striker Andy Mangan is looking forward to.Mangy has got minutes in all the pre-season games so far and is looking forward to getting more under his belt at Solihull.
The players have been back since the end of June and the signs of the hard work are beginning to show.
“The lads are settling in well and we are working to see what the best shape and dynamic is for the team and I’m sure the gaffer is having a good think about that”, said Andy.
“We’ve played three games so far and had a win, draw and a loss and things are looking alright.”
On Tuesday night Town put in an assured performance against Championship side Birmingham City and ended the game 1-0 winners. It might be a cliché but the important thing is for the players to get minutes rather than the results.
“Pre-season is pre-season and it is genuinely about getting fit and getting the minutes and putting the miles in”, added Mangy.
“It was a good performance against Birmingham for the 90 minutes and to come away with a win was great.
“It was good to see little Ethan getting his first goal, and it was great for him and great for the Town to see another youngster coming through.
“I’ve been in teams where they have won every game in pre-season and have started sluggish and been in team that haven’t done well in pre-season but have started the season great, so don’t read too much into results.”
On Saturday the test will be against Solihull Moors who have won promotion to the Vanarama National Conference. It’s sure to be a difference test from the recent games and one that Mangan is looking forward to.
“It’s a good test there will players in the Solihull team who will want to play well because they might get noticed and get a trial”, said Andy.
“They will be right up for it whereas you play a team like Birmingham where they came here and were quite relaxed as they were working on shape.
“On Saturday against Solihull it will be 100 miles an hour and we will have to compete.
“It will be a different test and one that we need to embrace and it will be a good fitness test.
“It’s pre-season and it’s about players getting minutes, about seeing what formation works, seeing what doesn’t work and I’m sure the gaffer will be looking at it and we will get a win.”
There has been a new addition to the Town training arsenal with the club taking delivery of a new GPS thanks to a donation from the Super Blues club. It’s a system that allows the players to keep track of their work in training and something Mangy is embracing.
“The science behind it is brilliant, we’ve got this GPS system that can tell you where you’ve been on the pitch, tell you how many yards per minute you are doing, the impacts you are doing, the sprints, what distance you are covering, where you are on the pitch in relation to your position, the information is really, really good.
“Then you have the heart rate monitors to show you how quick you are recovering, if you get your heart rate high then you have to get it back down to around 120 beats per minute and then go again.
“It’s very scientific and I’m one of those who always embrace new technology as it’s there to help improve you.”