Stuart Gray felt that Thursday's 0-0 draw at Brackley in their first pre-season game was just what his team needed, but said there was plenty of room for improvement.

"There is plenty to work on and I thought we looked a bit rusty," he said.

"It is early days yet in terms of our pre-season but I was disappointed that we didn't create more chances. Having said that we need minutes under our belt and this was the first step on the road.

"We have got to get used to the new lads and how they play and they have got to get used to us and our style. Full credit to Brackley, they were very committed and gave us a very good game. The most important thing was that we got minutes out there on the pitch and we got through without any injuries.

"Jason Crowe picked up a minor thigh strain in training, Andy Holt needed 5 stitches in a head wound after clashing heads with Giles Coke and I think Bayo is 4 or 5 days away from playing in a game and he will play in Germany. We need to sharpen up and this game was a step in the right direction for us.

"It was also the first game for Liam Davis since he had a hernia operation at the end of last season but we saw glimpses from him and just what he can do."