Wealdstone boss Matt Taylor described Saturday’s 3-2 win over Hemel Hempstead as 'a really good test’ as the Stones rounded off their pre-season campaign with a hard-fought victory over the National League South side.

A brace from Sam Ashford paired with an excellent volleyed finish from veteran Adrian Mariappa secured the win, although two avoidable strikes from the away side dampened the enthusiasm ahead of the Stones’ looming National League campaign.

“It was a really good test for us. It was a test we haven’t had up to this point in pre-season,” said Taylor.

“Hemel were really good in the way that they tried to get the ball down the sides of us. They wanted to be direct. So, from my point of view and from a coaching perspective, it was a really good test because it gave us something different to have to deal with.

"We scored a really good goal in the first half. We were patient in possession. We moved the ball well and waited for the opportunity to arise for us to play a forward pass for Sean (Adarkwa) to get a shot off, and Sam was in front of goal.

“In the moments where we needed quality, we had them, but there’s still a huge amount for us to work on, and that will always be the way the season will go.

"Are we going to be the finished article yet? No. What we have is an opportunity to train and train really well to put us in the best frame of mind for the game coming up against Dagenham.

“Pre-season’s been really good, in terms of the varied opposition we’ve had, and what it does now is it puts us in a good position.

"Will we want to challenge the players this week? Yes, we will. It will be a tough week of training for them, but coming off of today with another win, hopefully the players can go into that with a bit of momentum.”

Having won three of seven pre-season fixtures, the former West Ham winger gave an honest assessment of the biggest takeaways from his preparations for the new season.

“We’ve looked at a couple of system changes in pre-season. That’s helped us a lot. I have information for the players to take on,” Taylor told the club website.

“One of the main positives for me has been their attitude and application towards everything we’ve asked them to do. The players have been really respectful around the core beliefs that I hold, both in possession and out of possession.

"We’ve got to this point and put a lot of work into the players, but there’s still a lot more that needs to be done.

"We’re going to prep really well for the game, but the players are acutely aware of what we want and what I want in possession and out of possession, but I think my job is to continuously drive them to be better, whether that’s with the ball or without it."

After the trip across London to face the Daggers on Saturday (3pm), Stones will host Oldham Athletic at Grosvenor Vale seven days later.