Delighted David Hopkin hailed Ayr United's positive start to pre-season as the Honest Men got back underway this afternoon.
Jack Baird's first-half header was enough to seal a 1-0 win over Welsh side The New Saints at Cumnock.
And Hopkin was thrilled to see his side showing immediate signs of progress.
He told the Ayrshire Post: "It's a positive result against a very good side.
"TNS are some way ahead of us in terms of their pre-season preparations so this was a great workout for us off the back of just a few training sessions.
"They've been up at St Andrews this week holding a training camp and we couldn't have asked for a tougher game at this stage.
"We got at least 45 minutes into most players and the pleasing thing was seeing them come through it."
Hopkin ran the rule over three trialists in his staring XI with Sean McGinty making his debut in defence.
And United put in a solid shift at Townhead Park with Baird getting up well to steer home an Andy Murdoch free-kick before the break.
United are next in action on Tuesday night when they travel to Stair Park to face Stranraer.
The game will be available to stream online for Ayr fans via Stranraer's website for a fee of £5.
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