Dobbin: A lot of positives to build on
Lewis Dobbin was delighted to make his first appearance in Saints colours as Southampton kicked off their pre-season schedule with a 3-1 victory away at Eastleigh.
The summer signing admitted the opening fixture of pre-season is never an easy one physically, but was pleased to get valuable minutes under his belt as preparations for the new campaign got underway.
"It's good," said Dobbin. "I think the first minutes in pre-season are always tough, but my legs felt good and it was nice to get a first run out."
Having only recently arrived on the south-coast, the winger revealed the transition into the squad has been made easy thanks to the welcome he has received from his new teammates.
"I think the transition has been really easy, to be fair, and that's a credit to the lads," he said. "Everyone's welcomed me with open arms and it's been really easy to transition into the changing room, so it's been really good."
Dobbin has also been getting to grips with Tonda Eckert's tactical approach, admitting there's plenty to learn but believing the manager's attention to detail will help improve his game.
"I've had a few meetings during the week and it's a lot of information to take in, but it's been really good," he explained.
"He's been really patient with me. I'm still learning and it'll take time to fully adapt, but the way he talks about it and how much detail goes into it is certainly going to make me better as a player. I think I'll pick it up quite easily."
Whilst pre-season is primarily about building fitness, Dobbin felt there were plenty of positives to take from Saints' victory at the Silverlake Stadium.
"I think the first game is always more about the fitness levels," he said. "Getting that winning mentality early is important as well, so it was nice to win the game. There are a lot of positives to build on and also a lot of things we can work on, so I'm looking forward to the next games."
