Cherries manager Paul Groves says that the weekend’s pre-season friendlies will provide his squad with a sterner and more competitive test.
Poole Town are the Cherries’ first assignment tonight at Tatnum before visiting the Denplan City Ground tomorrow to take on Winchester City, and Groves believes the two sides will offer a new challenge.
The squad returned from their Spanish camp this week and the manager insists that his players are fully prepared and ready to go.
He told afcb.co.uk, “We’ll be tested a little bit more than in the previous game as Poole and Winchester come from a higher level of football.
“It will be more competitive but we are another week on with our preparation. We had a good few days in Spain which enabled us to put one or two things in place so I think we’ll be ready.”
Groves revealed that new signing Frank Demouge is fit and will start at Winchester, and explained that two separate teams will play in each game with development players brought on in the latter stages.
He added, “They will offer us a different type of test, probably a sterner one which we’re looking forward to.
“Frank is fine and will start the second game against Winchester,” he revealed. “We will split the group so two different teams start. They will play around 60 minutes but some may play longer.
“The development group will be used in a capacity towards the end of the games and I think mixing them in and around the first team will be a good experience for them.”