Curle happy with 'excellent workout' as Cobblers share the spoils with Bournemouth Under-23s

Boss Keith Curle declared himself delighted with the 'excellent workout' his team got from their training match against Bournemouth Under-23s in Spain on Tuesday.
Matty Warburton scored a hat-trick as the Cobblers drew 3-3 with Bournemouth Under-23s in Spain (Pictures: Pete Norton)Matty Warburton scored a hat-trick as the Cobblers drew 3-3 with Bournemouth Under-23s in Spain (Pictures: Pete Norton)
Matty Warburton scored a hat-trick as the Cobblers drew 3-3 with Bournemouth Under-23s in Spain (Pictures: Pete Norton)

Town played a match of three 30-minute periods against the youngsters from the Premier League outfit, and came back from 2-0 down to claim a 3-3 draw, with Matty Warburton scoring a hat-trick.

The match was the Cobblers' second runout of the summer so far, following on from Satrurday's 7-0 win at UCL side Sileby Rangers, and Curle was very pleased with how the game went at the club's Pinatar Arena training base in Murcia.

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"It was a very good test," said the Cobblers boss, who saw Ryan Watson, Scott Pollock and Jordan Turnbull play their first minutes of pre-season.

Harry Smith gets a shot awayHarry Smith gets a shot away
Harry Smith gets a shot away

"I think there was a mixture of footballing cultures, playing against a team who have an education and play a style of football that suits them.

"Then you have our culture about the understanding of winning games, and the importance of individual roles the players within the team.

"We mix it up and change formation, but it's still about stopping the opposition from playing and then we win the ball back in good areas, it is about having the direction of our play and where we want to go, and the focus of where we want to go.

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"It was an excellent workout, having three 30-minute games and within that changing the personnel because we want that to be our DNA going forward.

Nicky Adams in action against BournemouthNicky Adams in action against Bournemouth
Nicky Adams in action against Bournemouth

"It is about stopping the opposition, we earn the right to play, and we have direction in our play."

Town found themselves 2-0 down, only for summer signing Warburton to then steer them into a 3-2 lead, with the Cherries netting a last-gasp equaliser.

Curle felt the Cobblers had the better of proceedings though, and was delighted to see his team score another three goals.

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"I think we were a threat, not only from set-pieces but from open play as well," said the Town boss.

"When you look at the balance of chances in and around the box, you would say we had the greater share.

"But there are still lots of things to work on, and that is why these pre-season games are a challenge and they are a test for the players.

"The attitude of the players was exemplary which you would expect.

"They understand it is a pre-season game, but we knew the tactics and style of play from Bournemouth would be a challenge and we accepted it."