AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor was pleased to get a first pre-season win under their belts against Runcorn Town last night.

The Coasters ran out comfortable 5-1 winners despite difficult conditions and Challinor was delighted his squad came through another game unscathed.

“They were unique conditions, particularly for an evening game, being so hot and humid. It was a bit of a test for us with it being so warm and the grass being quite long and it wasn’t conducive to a fast-paced game.

“The tempo of the game was dictated by the weather, but there were still some pleasing aspects from our point of view. We scored some goals and played some decent stuff but most importantly it was another hour or so playing time for most of the lads.

“It’s another game out the way without any problems. The lads will have a day off now because they have worked really hard recently and then we are right back at it on Thursday in preparation for Oldham on Saturday.

“It’s difficult to monitor fitness levels on a night like that. The lads went through a fitness test at the start of pre-season and we will be revisiting that this week to see where people are up to now.

“Next week will be a really tough one as we try to push on to the levels we want to be at for the start of the season.”