So now it’s starting to feel a bit more real.

With the tour of the south-east done and dusted, City are back home and counting down to the first-day visit to Shrewsbury a week on Saturday.

There are still two friendlies to go but one is at Rochdale, the stellar opponents on the pre-season schedule, and the other a chance to bed in the new Valley Parade surface against Avenue.

The prospect of playing on two proper pitches will provide a timely lift after last week’s trek around Essex.

The benefits of spending five days under the same hotel roof will be seen as the campaign progresses. Bringing the players closer as a group has got to help for the serious stuff ahead.

But in the short-term, there have been minuses – and none more so than the costly injuries picked up at Ashford Town which have ruled out James Hanson and Leon Osborne from the reckoning on August 7.

That inevitably coloured Peter Taylor’s verdict on the bonding exercise that followed in the footsteps of his previous clubs.

“It’s been good and bad,” Taylor admitted. “But obviously the injuries have been frustrating.

“I only wanted everyone to play 45 minutes in games but that’s not been possible. We’ve been unlucky.

“Losing James and Leon wasn’t great. They are struggling for the start of the season but we’ve just got to get on with it.

“If it means they are out for the first two weeks, we’ve got a group of players here who are good enough. Whoever I put out against Shrewsbury, I’m expecting them to really run around and get a result.”

Taylor has been in the game long enough to ride the pre-season blows with a philosophical attitude. Knocks and bruises, however unwelcome, run with the territory.

He said: “It happens. I’m sure other clubs out there have had the same frustrations.

“I’ll be surprised if others haven’t had problems with injuries as well. I imagine the majority of clubs will lose a player they weren’t expecting to. You’re very lucky if everything goes exactly to plan.”

Some have questioned the legitimacy of playing so many non-leaguers in the warm-ups.

City were obviously hamstrung because of the need to allow Valley Parade as long as possible to recover from the summer overhaul. But Taylor admitted that some of the surfaces they have faced have not helped.

He said: “I’ve learned about where you go. Unfortunately I don’t think the first couple of pitches were what we should be playing on.

“Stambridge’s pitch was a bit dangerous but that was their facilities and I don’t think they could do a lot more.

“The Canvey grass was very long and it was the same on Friday night (at Ashford). It’s not easy when I’m asking the players to try and get the ball down.

“Saturday (at Chelmsford) was the first time we had a sensible pitch when we could really look to pass the ball. We’ve conceded a couple of goals in pre-season by passing on a pitch that probably wasn’t right to do so.

“I don’t want to make that as an excuse because that’s all the clubs can do.

“I’m sure the players have been a bit embarrassed to lose two matches on the spin to two non-league teams. But I think you saw a bit more like it at Chelmsford against a team who are better than those we lost to.”