'Loads to work on' - Michael Skubala after Bristol City's pre-season defeat

The sides met in a pre-season game in Alicante on Friday morning but it was the League One outfit who got the better of the Championship side in what was Michael Skubala's first game in front of fans since his summer appointment.

Midway through the first half, the Hatters took the lead when Adama Sidibeh fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Sam Greenwood and Rob Dickie came close to levellers before Jayden Fevrier lashed home from outside the area to double the lead with eight minutes to play.

While pre-season is not about results and all about fitness, it's never good thing to be beaten. And Skubala said that while the week in Spain had been largely positive, there were still plenty of things he wanted to see from his charges going forward.

"A tough week, really good week, good to get a game at the end but loads of things to work on," Skubala told RobinsTV. "But great to have two 45s into the boys and some of the younger lads out there as well.

"The lads have worked really hard out here, double sessions every day, and gone into the game tired, but have loads of things to work on, you can see that from the game, a lot of things need to improve on, but what you want in pre-season, first couple of weeks the demands to be high and then you want to see things need to work on on the ball."

On the game itself, Skubala said: "We wanted a better performance today but it wasn't to be. The second half when we changed the shape, we looked a lot better. We wanted to play two shapes to see what it looked like but in the second half it was a bit better, but loads to work on but that's what pre-season is for, was a really good test

"It was important to go over and thank you to the supporters. We will need them this season and important to make connections with the fans and great to see them on the pitch with the flags."

The starting eleven saw Sam Tickle in goal, Noah Elie, Rob Dickie, Lisav Eissat as a back three, George Tanner, Adam Randell, Jason Knight, and Cam Pring across the midfielder, with Max Bird, Sam Greenwood, and a Trialist up front.

But only five minutes into the game, Romanian Eissat was forced off injured after suffering a cut to his head, with Taine Anderson replaces him. "Lisav picked up a bit of a head injury so have to assess that and see how bad it is," Skubala said. "But these things happen in football and hopefully wont be too long."

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Greenwood saw a free kick hit the wall before Bird volleyed the follow up over, but midway through the half, Stockport went ahead when Sidibeh fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Dickie saw a header saved just before half-time.

The second half saw a switch to a back four, as Seb Naylor, Rob Atkinson, Gisbon Yah, Tomi Horvat, Scott Twine and Sam Bell replaced Elie, Anderson, Knight, Pring, Bird and the Trialist. Ten minutes later, Brad Collins, Jamie Knight-Lebel, Dan Ezendu, Elijah Morrison and Marley Thelwell replaced Tickle, Tanner, Dickie, Randell, and Greenwood.

Stockport doubled their lead with 82 minutes on the clock when Fevrier lashed home from outside the area. And that was that as the Robins were beaten.

"We will be working hard but the reality is we have a lot to do and improve on and work on," Skubala added. "We have to get fitter and stronger, more dynamic, physically better and we have to work on tactical aspects to improve. But we saw some good bits, Elijah Morrison was lively, Dan Ezendu only 17 and he did very well."

Next up for the Reds is a behind-closed-doors game with Newport County on Tuesday, before a trip to Swindon Town next Saturday.

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