Matty happy with pre-season progress

After playing over an hour in Spartans 2-2 draw with Northern League side Shildon, Spartans midfielder Matthew Wade revealed that he was happy with the way his pre-season was going. The former Washington FC man is preparing for his second season at Croft Park and can't wait for the new season to begin.

"Obviously I came back from holiday last week and Saturday's game was my first one of pre-season. Now with that game behind me and the hour I got tonight I just want to continue to build throughout pre-season and get myself fully ready for competitive matches. It's going well so far but there is still plenty of work to do"

A late goal from Shildon defender Dan Moore denied Spartans their second win in three pre-season fixtures after a second half comeback seemed to have given Tom Wade's the spoils. A Robbie Dale penalty and a free kick from substitute Neal Hooks put their side ahead but they left Croft Park disappointed after Moore's scrambled equaliser.

However Wade insisted that results aren't the priority in pre-season, with fitness and team pattern the key targets in warm up games.

"Pre-season results aren't important as such. You obviously like to win any game you play in but it's more important to get your fitness levels up and get our team pattern sorted for when the new season kicks in. We did well tonight and it was a good workout against a good side"