Aaron Wildig says he saw a number of encouraging signs from Newport County during Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Undy AFC.
The Exiles got their pre-season schedule off to a winning start thanks to goals from Michael Spellman, Courtney Baker-Richardson, Kiban Rai and Luke Jephcott at Causeway.
County fielded a separate XI in each half as players got minutes under their belt as the first fortnight of pre-season came to a close.
And despite seeing positive signs in the club’s opening fixture, the midfielder is keen to build on their positive start.
“It was a really good work-out for us,” said Wildig, who captained the side in the opening 45 minutes.
“Today was all about getting through the game and gaining valuable minutes.
“Pre-season has obviously been different with the coaching department this year and with the new style of play, so today was about taking on new information and building positive connections with the new players.
“Getting goals in pre-season is always important, especially when it comes to building momentum. Momentum in pre-season can be huge, particularly for forward players, and that’s what I said to the lads before the game.
“It was great to see Courtney get on the scoresheet. It was a great strike from him on his return and so was Kiban’s.
"As a team, we’re going to need people to score goals, so it was great that all four of them found the net.
“To see some of the boys get off the mark so early on is only a good thing, which will hopefully set us up well going into another positive week."
The Exiles continue their pre-season campaign with a trip to Pontypridd United on Tuesday night, as they look to make it back-to-wins.
County face the Cymru South outfit at the USW Sports Park and Wildig admits the midweek clash will offer another good opportunity for players to gain valuable minutes.
“Going into Tuesday now, it’s just about building more minutes and building on today’s performance," he added.
“At this stage, it’s all about getting everyone up to full speed ready for the big kick-off in August."
