ALEX Neil is happy with his team’s progression after they earned a 3-1 win from their extended friendly against Cambridge United on Friday.

City slipped behind after Barry Corr’s opener, but goals from Gary Hooper, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Harry Toffolo secured victory in the quartered, 120-minute contest at the Abbey Stadium.

Reflecting on the match after the last whistle, Neil said: “I thought we dominated the game to be fair. I thought our quality and experience showed across both 60-minute halves.

“The first 30 minutes I was pleased with. I thought we dominated it and created good opportunities, but we didn’t score a goal when we should have.

“In the second 30 minutes, we were a bit sloppy and we didn’t move the ball well enough, and to be fair to Cambridge I thought they had a lot of counter-attacks.

“The next group that came on did really well. We were in control of the match for the full 60 minutes, we created good chances and made it tough for them.”

The confirmed that Sebastien Bassong (hamstring) was rested as a precaution, while Kyle Lafferty faces a short lay-off after picking up a knee injury earlier in the week.

City still maximised their opportunities in the unique format at Cambridge though, according to Neil.

“If we’d have only played 90 minutes, then eleven would have got 60 minutes and the rest would have got 30, which wouldn’t have been ideal because we’ve got a big squad,” he added.

“I wanted to ensure everyone got 60 minutes in their legs. I think we got everything we wanted.

“It was a good test for us. Cambridge did well, they worked really hard and were organised. It’s exactly the type of test that we need at the moment. It was a great exercise for both parties.

“We’ve got a couple of niggles, but that’s what happens when the games start. A lot of the stuff they’ve been doing has been in straight lines, and then when we come into the game their bodies have got to adapt to that as well.”

Neil's staff and squad will fly out to their training base in Germany on Saturday ahead of their two European friendly games against Maccabi Haifa and FC Augsburg.

Make sure you head back to canaries.co.uk as we travel with the team, bringing you behind-the-scenes coverage as City ramp up their Premier League preparations.

ALEX NEIL: IT WAS A GOOD TEST

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