Manager Lee Burch was full of praise for his side after London Bees came back late in the game to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 in a training ground practice match at The Hive.

“Maybe the players psychologically struggled to get into game mode due to it being the evening and training”, were Burch’s initial thoughts, as The Bees saw themselves behind after Orient converted a penalty just after the hour mark.

“Fitness was always going to tell”, the Bees boss went on to say, proving that pre-season games are essential for the upcoming season.

Despite there being several new players out on the pitch last night, Burch was happy with the result and explained how a key moment in the game proved important for the Bees’ victory.

“Orient getting the penalty was probably the catalyst for us as we actually started to play, up until then I was disappointed with the performance”.

Soon after The Bees were level after a fantastic free-kick, and went on to win the game with a late goal in the last minute, Burch was delighted with the attitude his players showed.

“It was great to see the characteristics and the resilience to come back, that is a major positive to take away from this evening”.

Although Burch felt that The Bees weren’t playing their greatest football, he still felt there were periods of the game that shone through.

“As much as we weren’t playing great, we were controlling big periods of the game”

Despite the positive result Burch was keeping his feet firmly on the ground and was keen to emphasise that results only make up a small factor of the Bees pre-season.

“For me, there’s no point in coming out and winning games eight or nine nil, you learn nothing”. “As long as we learn from it, it’s been a worthwhile exercise”.

When asked about new players coming in, Burch was pleased with how the clubs current business was going

“The squads 90-95% complete, it just comes down to obviously paperwork and just getting things organised”

“We’re still looking at one or two and just have to make the right decisions in the right areas” – “It has to be the right players for the group”.

“I’m pleased with the group we’ve pulled together and I know the fans will be once we reveal everyone and get them out there for the first game of the season”.

The Bees’ upcoming pre-season fixtures against Crawley Wasps and Tottenham Hotspur will be a great chance for players to try and cement their place in the Bees squad for the first game of the season,

“These first three games were just about minutes and legs, now it’s about stepping it up and really focusing on the things that will get them into the team for that first game”.

“Crawley are going to be a good side. They had a great season last year and did really well. They have played a couple of Championship sides already so it’s going to be a real challenge”