WEYMOUTH assistant-manager Tom Prodomo insists the prospect of facing Exeter City holds no “fear” for the Terras as they prepare for their third pre-season friendly at the Bob Lucas Stadium tonight (7pm).
Both clubs enjoyed successful seasons at their respective levels as Weymouth made the play-offs in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division, while the Grecians lost 3-1 to Coventry City in the League Two play-off final at Wembley.
Speaking to Echosport ahead of the encounter, Prodomo believes Exeter pose a “good challenge” for his charges.
He said: “In the build-up to the good year they had last year we played them in pre-season and equipped ourselves really well and we’ll be looking to do the same again.
“We’ve got to make sure that we look after the boys and make sure we’re ready to go.
“It’s a good challenge and a side that we need to respect, like we would any opposition, but it’s certainly not a game that we fear.
“I think again we’ll be looking to impose ourselves on them as much as they do us and we trust all our players to go out and play opposition of that quality.”
Weymouth warmed up for the Exeter clash with a 3-1 victory over Kingstonian – a match that Prodomo described as a “positive step” for the Terras.
He said: “It’s always difficult at this stage when you’re making a lot of changes during a match – that naturally disrupts your rhythm a little bit.
“That aside, I felt like it was a really positive step. I thought the boys first and foremost showed a good attitude and body language throughout, which is really important to us.
“Then, in terms of the tactical side of it there were some positive signs with and without the ball. I felt that was reflected in the scoreline.
“We had some really good chances to stretch that slightly further but it was a good workout and they’re a strong side.”
Prodomo added that the Kingstonian fixture had been arranged to give Weymouth a taste of what London-based clubs have to offer, with Metropolitan Police, Hendon and Harrow Borough side-stepping to the Southern League South this season.
He said: “(Kingstonian) have a lot of the characteristics that we’ll face a lot this season, so that was why we looked to play them at this stage.
“It does show the types of challenges we’ll face. There’s a lot more teams from the London area, I’m not saying they’re all the same, but perhaps we can pick up a few bits that we’ll face throughout the season.
“It’s about designing a pre-season that brings a variety of challenges and helps you educate your group along the way.
“Against Exeter it will be a different game but it’s important that we’re not just reacting to other teams and that we build on our own ideas that we want to impose on the opposition.”
Prodomo added that the Weymouth group as a whole, trialists included, have had a “first-class attitude” during their time with the club.
He said: “The group as a whole, whether it’s the signed players or those looking to earn something, have had a first-class attitude to whatever we’ve asked them to do both in training or in fixtures.
“I certainly don’t feel anybody’s let themselves down but at the same time it’s a very competitive group and it’s a hard squad to break in to. Anyone joining the group has got to be really on their mettle all the time.”
Weymouth have a full squad to choose from, with Josh Carmichael having recovered from a foot problem.
