Ladies boss Mick Barber insists that there are plenty of positives to be taken from the first two pre-season friendlies despite losing both matches.

Barber witnessed a 2-0 defeat by Coventry City and a 3-2 loss against Manchester City in games played at Stone Dominoes last weekend but believes he still saw enough quality from the players as they look to push for promotion this coming season.

"They put up a good fight against teams placed in leagues a lot higher than us," Barber said.

"I was pleased with the work rate of the girls and as always at this point of the season it's more about the fitness and development of the players than the results.

"It was a good opportunity to see some of the new players in action too and I'm looking forward to the start of the season."

Holly Cowan and Centre of Excellence graduate Emma Sanders got the goals against Manchester City and both will be looking to add more to their tally in this Sunday's game at Derby County.