'It's too early' for City to fully grasp methods, says Askey

York kicked off their 2022/23 season on Friday with their first of a planned six pre-season games.

They were beaten 3-2 by Sky Bet Championship side Middlesbrough at the LNER Community Stadium.

City handed out debuts to 10 players, with new signings Manny Duku, Alex Hurst, Fraser Kerr, Ethan Ross, Adam Crookes, Scott Burgess, Gus Mafuta, Scott Boden and Luke James all playing their first games since joining the club.

Youth academy product Ben Dale also made his first appearance for City during the game.

York manager Askey was sure that it was too early for his team to completely understand his gameplan, but hopes that their trip to Scotland will help his players bond.

“It’s too early, but (we will have) four days away (in Scotland),” he said.

“When you’re with them for 24 hours, it gives us a great chance to work on lots of stuff. We can train three or four times during the day.

“Because it’s a new squad, it allows everyone to get to know each other better. It should serve a good purpose for us.

“It’ll be hard and that’s why we’re going. It’s a gradual process, pre-season, but the main thing is keeping everyone fit.

“What we don’t want to do is push them too hard and then they break down, that’s what we have to keep an eye on.”

Askey used the game to utilise different systems for his side as the game progressed. The Minstermen began the match with a back five, before moving to three at the back in the second half.

Though the Minstermen seemed much improved in the second 45 minutes, Askey was adamant that pre-season was the time for experimenting with different tactics.

“We changed it around, (‘Boro) did too. That’s probably why we looked better in the second half,” noted Askey.

“The shape that we played suits us more than if we play with wing-backs, but that’s what pre-season is for.

“It’s to have a look at different ways of playing so we get a better understanding of if we need to change.”