Oldham Athletic boss Micky Mellon says he is happy with his side's tough pre-season schedule, despite suffering a third successive defeat against higher-ranked opposition in a 1-0 loss to Stockport County at Boundary Park.
Latics followed recent setbacks against Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town with another narrow defeat on Tuesday night, as Malik Mothersille's second-half strike proved enough for the League One visitors.
While the result extended Oldham's winless run this summer, Mellon was keen to focus on the benefits of testing his side against teams operating above their level.
Reflecting on the contest, the Latics boss said: "Another tough run that we would expect.
"We got a lot of stuff out of it.
"We want to get fitness out of it, we want to learn a lot about ourselves and we certainly have.
"We're playing against teams from levels above us, so it has stretched us and absolutely put us to the max.
"That's good.
"That's what I want for pre-season.
"I want to learn more about the team and learn about things that we have to get better."
Oldham more than held their own during a cagey first half, with chances at a premium for both sides.
However, Stockport found another gear after the break and eventually broke the deadlock through Mothersille on the hour mark.
The game became even more difficult for Latics late on when striker Mike Fondop was shown a red card for a challenge on the Stockport goalkeeper, leaving the hosts to play out the closing stages with 10 men.
Although frustrated by the defeat, Mellon appeared encouraged by the lessons his side are continuing to learn ahead of the new League Two campaign.
The biggest concern of the evening, though, was an injury suffered by forward Jack Stevens.
The attacker was stretchered off during the first half after appearing to suffer a serious knee injury, casting a shadow over the evening for the home side.
Mellon admitted that early indications were worrying and revealed the club will now wait for the results of a scan.
"It doesn't look good and it's a massive blow," he said.
"We're going to get a scan and see where we go from there, but I'm gutted for the lad as well.
"Desperately gutted for him because he's worked so hard to get himself back, which is so wonderful."
The injury comes as a significant setback for both player and club, with Stevens having worked hard to return to fitness in recent months.
Despite the disappointment, there were still some positives for Oldham to take from the game.
One of them was the debut of Sheffield United loanee Zain Tahir, who produced a composed display after coming on in the second half and helped keep the visitors at bay during a period of sustained pressure.
Mellon also suggested work is continuing behind the scenes to strengthen his squad before the season gets under way, with Saturday's final pre-season fixture against Sheffield Wednesday looming.
"We need to... we're working on a couple of things, and hopefully we can get more over the line," he said.
"We've been trying for a while now, but we'll see how we go in the next week."
For now, however, Mellon's focus remains on ensuring his players gain as much as possible from a demanding pre-season schedule.
While the results against Bolton, Huddersfield and Stockport may not have gone Oldham's way, the Latics boss insists those stern examinations have served their purpose by showing exactly where improvements are needed before the competitive action begins.
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