WEYMOUTH manager David Oldfield insisted the 10-0 win over Bridport was a “really good workout” for the Terras.
Oldfield watched on as Weymouth scored five goals in each half, Tom Bearwish grabbing a hat-trick, Brad Ash a brace and triallists bagging the rest.
Bridport caused one moment of alarm for the Terras when their trialist keeper flapped at a corner, but Weymouth were otherwise untroubled by a team ranked four leagues beneath them.
Speaking to Echosport, Oldfield revealed Weymouth made no serious changes to the team from Saturday’s 2-1 win at Portland and went on to praise Bridport’s hospitality.
READ MORE: Bridport 0-10 Weymouth - match report
He said: “We didn’t make any particular tweaks in terms of anything tactically. We wanted to try and get as many of the boys we wanted to see out from the start.
“It was more that. It was a case of trying to see some of the boys who have worked hard and are trying to earn a deal.
“For the boys that are fortunate enough to have a deal we need to make sure their standards are as high as they can be.
“It was a really good workout against a really good team and they’ve made us feel very welcome here as well.”
Assessing the triallists, of which seven started the match, Oldfield said: “I felt that they joined in to the group well.
“I saw application and endeavour that you would absolutely hope for and probably expect. There were some good qualities.
“We want to be fair to trialist boys. We don’t want to keep anybody here that may lose opportunities elsewhere unless we’re serious on them.
“The ball is firmly in their court. We’re very appreciative of them coming in and for us to have a look at them and, crucially, for them to have a look at us.
“But there were some really good performances.”
Oldfield added Weymouth would not be getting carried away with the result.
He said: “Our attitude and manner, similar to Bridport’s, was good. We had to work hard and we’re deep in pre-season.
“We’ve managed to score some goals but the important thing is our attitude and willingness to do the work.
“There were some really good things in there. It’s our second game in pre-season so it’s lovely to do OK but it’s very much feet firmly on the ground.”
Oldfield also had words of encouragement for the Bees, adding: “I thought they were excellent, their manner, their attitude and the way they wanted to try and play was excellent.
“The future is definitely bright. We were fortunate enough to manage to score a couple of goals.
“When they bed in to what they’re trying to do it’s going to be a really interesting thing to watch, some really good play.”
Bridport boss Edgar Marcu admitted he expected a drubbing but took plenty from the contest.
He told Echosport: “First of all, I’d like to say thanks to Weymouth for accepting playing with us.
“I knew what to expect. At half-time I mentioned to the boys just enjoy yourself, there’s nothing I expect from this game.
“That’s the difference from professional and semi-professional footballers. We take the positives.
“It was a very good test. This is a pre-season friendly, trying to play stronger teams and build.
“It was a real positive game for us. I’ve seen moments in the game where we can pass the ball against a National League South side.
“I wanted to play football and we’ve done that. That’s really encouraging.”
In their next pre-season assignments, Bridport visit Radstock Town on Friday, while Weymouth travel to Poole Town on Saturday.
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