James Beattie was happy with the impact of last night’s pre-season game at Altrincham for his players.

The Reds drew 1-1 with the Conference side as they stepped up preparations for the new season, which begins a week on Saturday.

“It was a great workout for the boys,” said Beattie after Kal Naismith’s goal was cancelled out by Ryan Crowther. “Altrincham are a good side who came up into the Conference Premier last year and it’s a great playing surface here, though it could have done with wetting as it was a bit sticky.

“In the first half I felt it was a good performance. I thought we posed a threat and looked solid at the back. We created chances and were patient and we scored a good goal. Kal started the game really well and so did the team.

“The main thing is to get the boys through this without any soft tissue injuries which I’m really pleased about, especially with the size of squad we’ve got.

“In the second half we lost a goal which was a poor goal to concede really and I thought we lost our patience and kept giving the ball away. I’m more than pleased with the work rate of the boys. I don’t think that’s ever been in doubt and as I say, no injuries is a massive bonus for us.”