The friendly game against Portsmouth showed positive signs - a good 2-1 win recorded and, more importantly, a solid performance throughout.

The side Portsmouth put out would probably resemble the strength of some of the better sides United will face in the National League, and at no point did Paul Doswell’s men look out of their depth.

The 2-0 first half lead was deserved with Portsmouth rarely threatening - they admittedly came into the game a bit more in the second half, but were still well beaten.

We certainly won’t be getting over excited though – as I said last week, fitness is more important than performance in pre-season whether we win, lose or draw.

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The remaining pre-season friendlies will allow United to continue to work hard in preparation for the league campaign, as well as allowing Doswell to work out what his strongest tactics and starting XI are.

It has to be said Roarie Deacon had an excellent debut and was a great threat, capping off his strong performance with a well-taken goal.

Mistakes like the one that led to Portsmouth’s goal, switching off from a quick free-kick, will hopefully soon be eradicated as the players gradually get their mental match sharpness back.

Kingstonian away on Wednesday night will be another good test, albeit a slightly different one as United will be expected to win being a couple of divisions above their rivals.

The game against a Crystal Palace XI on Saturday is another eye catching game, hopefully one the locals will turn out for in numbers.