Preseason 2015-16
Preseason Results
This preaseason was a success, overall. I felt the team really started to gel from the off and they showed signs of some quality football being played. We got off to a fantastic start in odd fashion over
SLB B.
You wouldn't have known it was friendly, however, as our opponents had two men seeing red, and two penalties - both converted by captain
Hugo Grilo. I was surprised at how efficient we were in attack.
We then hosted another Lisbon giant, this time
Sporting's B Team. The team that was relegated from the Liga Revoluçao last season put up a tough test and we came away with a narrow win.
The team then travelled to
Caldas for our third friendly of preseason. It's obvious we need to improve fitness before the season begins because we were slow and tired in this game, and it's a contest we really should've won.
The last game was one against affiliate
CD Aves. After surprisingly taking the lead against our parent club, we just dropped off. We allowed an equaliser just before half time - giving them the opportunity to start over in the second half. I was pretty disappointed, but it's only preseason.
Player of Preseason
Despite not scoring a goal, or being credited with much from the match reporters over the course of our preseason, Nigerian
Cedric Omoigui gets my nod as the Player of Preseason. He really used that 20 Teamwork Attribute in laying on three assists in 4 games with an average rating of 7.10.
League Cup Draw
It's a relatively tough group we've been handed.
Rio Ave are more or less Primeira Liga quality and so a result may be tough to come by here.
Chaves were a side up and about the promotion spots last season and we were narrowly edged by them last season. The other two teams are
Leixões, a mid table outfit who can be beaten. The last team is
Trofense, who ended the previous league season with six consecutive defeats, will still be tough opposition, but if we play our best I can see us grabbing three points.
That is it for this time around. Next month is all about the League Cup and how we fared. Prior to that the league season will begin!