TODAY'S pre-season opener at the NORI Stadium saw the Robins run out 1-0 winners against Colne, with a mixture of trialists, youngsters and first team players turning out for Alty.

Following the game manager Phil Parkinson gave his thoughts on the afternoon's runout.

"A really top exercise for us today. It allowed us to have a look at the trialists who've been with us in week one, and you could see the calibre of the player on display. It'll give us a headache going into week two, which you don't necessarily expect to have.

"Lucas Weaver only played a small part today due to illness, but he was desperate to say fair well to the Colne faithful who'd shown him fantastic support last season. He came through his 30 minutes unscathed and James Jones was another real positive, and it was great to see him come through after a lengthy layoff.

"Our young pros looked really good. Joel Bailey, who would have played longer today but for a little knock, showed his class, and Owen German strolled through the game like a Rolls Royce; I've got really high hopes for him this season.

"As for our academy players - Max, Afernee, JC and Vlad - they look like the best crop of young players we've had, and I feel like I've been able to say that year-on-year. So, I was delighted with the game, delighted with the outcomes and it sets us up nicely for week two."

Next up on our pre-season schedule is a visit to Giant Axe to face Lancaster City next Saturday - kick-off is set for 2pm.

Admission is once again a very reasonable £7 Adults; £5 Concessions; £3 Students/Under-18s - and you can buy from our hosts here.