Bristol City maintained their momentum after beating Plymouth with a convincing 3-1 victory over newly-promoted League One side Forest Green Rovers.
It was a contest of high intensity, every outfield player getting 90 crucial minutes under their belt as City's pre-season took yet another step up ahead of the new campaign.
City's attacking trio of Chris Martin, Andi Weimann and Mark Sykes behind them looked fluid throughout the game, their movement causing issues for the visitors' defence which was reflected in the scoreline.
Martin opened the scoring in the first half before assisting Weimann with the Austrian finishing clinically on the volley. Sykes also got in on the action when he rounded the keeper to grab himself a deserved goal with all three players getting off the mark in pre-season.
Unfortunately, the Robins couldn't keep their clean sheet record intact when they were undone by a setpiece towards the back post, Zak Vyner losing his man before Dan Bentley's impressive initial stop was parried into the path of Forest Green Rovers' Josh March - much to the keeper's frustration.
Here's the standout players in City's opening victory...
Chris Martin
It's been a busy couple of weeks for the target man following the birth of his baby boy last week before trecking down to Plymouth in City's friendly.
He can be excused for looking slightly off the pace considering the inevitable sleepless nights and the fact he missed the Portsmouth game, but he looked back in business this afternoon.
Martin was a nuisance for the backline, winning his headers from Dan Bentley's long balls forward cue praise from Curtis Fleming on the touchline. But with the live wires of Mark Sykes and Andi Weimann behind and alongside him, Martin had the space to drop deep and pick up the ball in the final third.
He fed Sykes on the left side of the box early on before the keeper denied his low effort before having two quick-fire chances - one a weak header into the stopper's hands. Minutes later he broke the deadlock when Sykes' header landed at his feet and he volleyed in from close range to get off the mark for the season.
It's also worth noting Martin's encouragement on the field, shouting at his team-mates to keep going and play until the end after Forest Green had grabbed a way back into the game.
Mark Sykes
Probably his best game yet in pre-season for City and looks more and more suited to playing in that No10 role.
Never stopped running across the pitch, drawing out the defence and stepping deeper to pick up the ball, finding space in the final third and not afraid to drive towards the defence.
Sykes has perhaps been guilty in the games so far of drifting out towards the right side, leaving Jay Dasilva isolated out on the left and although he still naturally came across to his favoured side, he was more heavily involved on the other side of the pitch that produced two good chances.
They were carbon copies of each other both on the left side of the box. The first was a tame effort into the keeper's legs, and the second was at a tighter angle but once again Luke McGee was equal to it.
Then he was rewarded for his industrial first half by playing a role in the opener, combining with Weimann before knocking it into the path of Martin who did the rest. He then got off the mark himself in the second half, receiving a pass from the Austrian international before rounding the keeper to score his first goal in a City shirt.
Rob Atkinson
He's going to be a big player for City this season if he can stay fit. He had one fitness scare in the first half when he went down clutching his ankle and was immediately aided by Dan Bentley.
He gingerly climbed to his feet and continued going about his business playing a key part in a decent defensive performance, let down by the first goal conceded in pre-season. There was a misplaced pass or two in the opening 45 minutes, one to Dasilva that trickled out for a throw-in before Matty James was left frustrated when a ball went backwards instead of into his feet.
But Atkinson barely provided an opportunity for an attack to come down his side and despite being a pre-season friendly, wasn't shy in throwing himself into a tackle. The second half proved a different test upon Jamille Matt's introduction.
The towering striker, who gave Taylor Moore a nightmare in the Carabao Cup loss almost a year ago, was a handful in the air. Atkinson lost his initial header and received a pep talk from Naismith reminding him to win the ball at the first attempt.
From then on, Atkinson was comfortable reading the game well and being smart in possession, often looking for the easy ball into the feet of either James or Williams. His form towards the end of last season was important in City's decent stretch at the end of the campaign and he is continuing in the same vein.
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