DAVID Wright was philosophical about his side’s first pre-season defeat.

The Jammers travelled to the Hawthorns to take on Thurlow Nunn League premier division side Stanway Rovers.

And it was Wright’s Ryman League division one north side that were on the end of a 3-2 defeat, which saw ten changes for Maldon for the second half.

Jamie Shaw, Sam Cripps and Jake Clowsley hit the Rovers goals while Hassan Nalbant and Luke Eley scored for the visitors.

Wright, however, wasn’t that concerned about the final score.

He said: “Pre-season is all about building fitness.

“Every player had 45 minutes on the pitch. It was just a case of getting them together and it was the first time they have played together.

“Obviously we would have liked to have won but it is a work in progress.

“It was a good eye opener for our young players to see what football will be like this coming season.

“It showed them what to expect. Stanway were a physical side and very much in your face.

“It showed them what they will be up against when the new season begins.

“The game showed that some of our boys need to improve their decision making.

“The decision making was better in the second half but it will come the more they play together and get used to this style of football.

“They will learn how to deal with it.”

The next scheduled match is at home against Chelmsford City on July 23 but Wright’s players will get time on the pitch before that.

He said: “We are going to get some inhouse games in. Mainly because our pitch isn’t quite ready yet.

“We will be playing games. We have to get the match fitness up and the more they play together the more they will learn about each other.”