Frankie's friendlies focus
10 July 2024Frankie Kent believes the Jambos’ upcoming friendly matches will be a good marker in how pre-season preparations have gone so far and how much further they still have to go.
Hearts host Leyton Orient this Saturday at 3pm before welcoming Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur for a glamour encounter on Wednesday, July 17th at 7pm.
Currently going through the rigours of intense, warm weather training at the club’s pre-season camp in Tenerife, popular defender Frankie is looking forward to getting back on the pitch for real.
He reckons both friendlies will provide stern opposition and can ultimately help the boys in maroon as they prepare for a blockbuster season, competing on both domestic and European fronts.
Speaking in this weekend’s Official Matchday Programme, Frankie said: “We’ve got two good tests coming up with Leyton Orient and Spurs. I’ve played against Orient a couple of times. I played against Tottenham once in the FA Cup which was a good experience.
“To get back in front of your own fans, testing yourself against good opposition, is great preparation for the season ahead. These games are primarily about fitness but it’s also to test yourself and see where you’re at.
“100% these games can act like a taster ahead of Europe. They can show where we’re at and where we want to be.
“It’s brilliant that these teams are coming up but we don’t want to be rolling out the red carpet for their benefit, we want to do our bit and see what sort of level we’re at.
“We’ve got huge games coming up in August, against top-level opposition, and we have to be prepared for them. Doing well in these friendlies can put us into a good rhythm heading into the start of the season.”
