Paul Hurst hails Shrewsbury Town success over Ebbsfleet United

John McAtee and Louis Dodds both netted during the 2-0 win, capping off the club's trip to Portugal..

Hurst felt that the win was a result that his side deserved following their week of hard work.

"The players worked extremely hard last week and in terms of preparation for a game they certainly worked a lot harder than they would for a league game" he said.

"A big part of pre-season is the physical side, but the game got them back into the swing of things. The result was irrelevant realistically, but what I would say is that we do like to try and win games and we managed to do that.

"It was good for the lads that got the goals and also for Craig [MacGillivray] who managed to keep a clean-sheet with a couple of saves, so that will be good for his confidence, but the most important thing was to get them back out there."

Whilst the game was competitive, the boss was thrilled to avoid any major injury worries, but for a minor calf problem suffered by Mat Sadler.

"There were certainly tackles flying in from both sides and I'm sure that's what we all wanted", Hurst said.

"No injuries occurred from the physical tackling side, Mat (Sadler) just felt his calf tighten up, and you want those games because ultimately when it kicks off there will be tackles flying in from both sides.

"It's part and parcel from the game and we want the players to have the attitude that they want to do things right and tackling is certainly part of the game."

Hurst was also quick to point out the work done by John McAtee who scored the opener and is hopeful that the youngsters will settle in following the trip.

"Both lads took their goals well".

"John's was a nice finish with his left foot and Doddsy had a couple of chances, but certainly took that one very well.

"It's nice for those two to score. Doddsy's scored plenty of goals for us and throughout his career and John is a young player, so hopefully it will help him to feel like he can contribute and settle in.

"It's been very challenging for those young lads, but they've all seen first-hand what is expected of them and I think they realise that it is a little bit quicker and their touch has to be a little bit sharper, but they've settled into the group well."

Shrewsbury Town's next test will be up against Brackley this Tuesday, before they host Aston Villa this weekend.