Ipswich Town skipper Sam Morsy says he and his fellow Blues intend to be in the best possible shape for their Premier League challenge ahead.
Morsy scored the only goal of the game as Town kicked off their pre-season friendlies with a 1-0 win over Champions League side Shakhtar Donetsk in Austria on Saturday.
It came at the end of a week-long training camp for the Blues, with the squad put through their paces in often sweltering conditions.
READ MORE: Stuart Watson's verdict on Shakhtar win
Of the game, Morsy told TownTV: "Really good – good game, good opposition.
"They’re well ahead of us in their pre-season and season preparations but we played really well, won the game and could have scored more goals, so really positive.”
He added: “It’s been a really tough week, lots of work, lots of double sessions.
"It’s raining today but it’s been really hot and humid. It’s only a pre-season game, but it was great to win.”
The clash saw three of Town's five summer signings so far take to the pitch, with Ben Johnson starting at right back, while Jacob Greaves and Liam Delap both came on in the second half.
Leif Davis in action against Shakhtar (Image: Avni Retkoceri)
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“It’s about building up (the minutes)," Morsy explained. "Every individual player will have a plan and the goal for everyone is to be in the best place possible come the first game of the season.
“So it’s lovely to get some minutes, we’ve had a couple of in-house games and our first proper friendly – it’s good to get minutes under the belt, lots of good things, new lads getting some minutes as well, so it’s really positive.”
Town now return to Suffolk ahead of their second friendly of the pre-season - they host Fortuna Dusseldorf at Portman Road on Saturday.
WATCH: Match highlights from Shakhtar win
And Morsy concluded: “A brilliant week, lots of hard work. Gone are the days when pre-season tours are a mess-around and night outs.
“It’s been a really, really hard week. Lots of team bonding, everyone getting to know each other more, plus minutes on the grass, minutes in the gym, tactical stuff.
“It’s been a great week and it’s ended with a really good win.”
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