Grant McCann felt the pre-season training camp in La Manga gave him the perfect opportunity to get to know his players and coaching staff.
The Rovers squad returned to face Alfreton Town on Saturday, winning 1-0 at the Impact Arena. McCann felt the time away set them up well for the tough test the non-league side provided, and the aims for this season have been set out early for his side.
"It was a great trip away with the boys, I got to know more of the staff and the players - what they're all about, have a lot of chats with the lads - and we set out to them what we want to achieve this year," he said.
"I spoke to the players about where I expect us to be and what they should expect from me as an individual. There's little triggers in the game that we've worked on, we did a couple small 11-v-11s but this was the first 45 minutes the boys have got through, so it's good progression against a physical side with some big lads at either end."
Rovers head to Frickley Athletic on Tuesday night for the second game of their pre-season campaign, and McCann says the hard work will continue during the game with the Northern Premier League Division One side.
"I'm pleased because we've come through it with no injuries, the boys have all got 45 minutes into their legs and now we can move onto the game at Frickley, and they can all get another 45 minutes under their belts," he added.
"Frickley will provide a similar type of game to Alfreton, they'll be at a similar standard and there's a lot of things for us to work on. It gives us another chance to look at how the players are coming along.
"The movement in midfield against Alfreton could have been a little bit better such as in the three-on-threes, but that will come with time - we've only worked together for a week so there's loads for us to build on and work on but there's been great improvement."
Rovers kick-off their Sky Bet League One campaign at Southend United on Saturday August 4, before their first home outing against Wycombe Wanderers the following Saturday.
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