Chester FC manager Steve Burr was in optimistic mood after watching his side beat Crewe Alexandra 3-2 in the final game of pre-season.
Goals from John Rooney, Ross Hannah and Tom Peers gave the Blues a deserved win, and one which should in truth have been more convincing.
Having started pre-season narrow back-to-back defeats to Oldham Athletic and Rochdale, Chester finished with five straight victories.
While results have been pleasing, the manner of the performances has been even more impressed and Burr has urged his team to take that form into the new campaign, which begins at home to Braintree Town on Saturday (3pm).
IN PICTURES: Action from Chester FC 3 Crewe Alex 2
"We've just got to make sure now that we take this sort of form into the league programme," said Burr.
"We now how tough a division it is and how physical the league is, but the signs have been very good and I was delighted with the performance against a very slick Crewe outfit who did knock the ball about well but I thought we did as well
"I'm very pleased but again you don't get anything for pre-season wins, it's about winning in the league fixtures and so forth
"The signs are really good and I've said that to the lads. If we can continue that into the league programme then I think we're in for a good season.
"The side that we were up against were League One but we're just pleased with how our boys are shaping up
"We knew it was going to be tough but we got off to a terrific start, the goal was top drawer and for the first 10 or 15 minutes I thought we were excellent
"As you would expect, Crewe got into the game a little bit but it was an entertaining game and we need to produce that in the league."
Chester raced out of the traps at the weekend took a fourth-minute lead when Rooney curled home a delightful strike from 20 yards.
It was his fourth goal in two matches and Burr has been delighted with the form of the 24-year-old midfielder, who netted a hat-trick against Liverpool under-21s in the previous game.
"He's red-hot at the minute and I thought he was absolutely outstanding in the first-half for us," said Burr.
"We felt that he didn't need to go out for the second-half so we rested him as he's played a lot of football just lately, as has Luke George
"He's in very, very good form and again we want to see that in the league games."
