Simon Grayson was satisfied following Sunderland’s 3-2 win over Bradford City.
An impressive performance from Jeremain Lens captured the imagination in the opening period, with Dutchman providing an assist for Josh Maja before making it 2-0 inside 10 minutes.
Billy Jones added a third before the interval as the Black Cats took command of the contest, but the Bantams struck back late on with a Tony McMahon penalty reducing the arrears before Trialist netted in added time.
And although the Sunderland boss was far from pleased at the goals his side conceded, he was content with their overall performance.
“Pre-season is all about moving the team forward in steps and today was an improvement from Tuesday night,” said Grayson.
“Today we showed some good signs when it comes to work ethic and the quality we’ve got within the group, so I was pleased with large parts but disappointed with the goals we conceded, most notably the second one.”
He continued: “There was some very good performances and a lot of people can be pleased today.
“There was some good quality at times and we passed the ball in the right areas, but we went long when we had to and executed a game plan because we talked about Bradford having a lot of the ball and the risks they take.
“We had to capatalise on that and that’s what we did, counter attacking quickly and adapting to different situations depending on who you’re playing.
“You have to start games brightly no matter who you’re playing against and that’s something we’ll be looking to do.
“We want to get the supporters off their feet and give it a right go so they get behind us."