Preston boss Ryan Lowe said he believes Town’s squad is ready for the Championship season now whereas his own is currently “a bit jaded”, following the Blues’ 2-1 victory at Deepdale last night.
Conor Chaplin and George Hirst netted the goals as Town recorded an impressive win over the Lancastrians, who finished 12th in the second tier last season having been in play-off contention for much of the year, their eighth campaign at that level.
"Second half was a lot better,” Lowe told LancsLive. "First half, I thought we were a bit jaded in everything we did. I thought they were good first half - movement, that is what you're going to come up against, playing a good team who did fantastic in League One. It was a good test for us and that's why I wanted it.
"I thought the two goals were not great on our behalf, but when you concede goals like that - they are avoidable and we can look back at them.
"There are no points at stake, which is a bonus, but we need to be a little bit better. I thought there were some good moments.
"After 20 minutes we got the press right and stopped them playing out. We then had a bit of joy at stopping them, but it fizzled out at the top end and we weren't clinical enough.
"Overall, the test was what we wanted. We didn't want to concede two goals and we wanted to score more goals, but it wasn't to be. So, first half not great and second half a lot better, because we asked for more.”
Regarding Town, the former Plymouth boss added: "Yeah, they've got a good squad. Their squad is ready now; ours is not.
"We've got four or five lads on their way back - potentially one or two more. So, we're a bit jaded in that sense.
"We're relying on the youngsters, who've been excellent by the way - bringing more energy to the team when they come on and taking instructions on very well.
"So, pre-season is nowhere near where we'd like to be just yet. We might look at changing the week up next week, because we feel it is important to get more coaching into the players.
"We will sit down and talk about that but in terms of the minutes, I am just hoping to get through pre-season with everyone fit and available. That is our aim. We don't like losing, but the result is irrelevant really - it is all about getting them ready for Bristol City.”