MARK Hughes said he was 'satisfied' with Saturday's performance against 1860 Munich, even though Blackburn Rovers spent most of the game playing second fiddle to the German second division side.
Munich have already claimed the notable scalps of Borussia Mochengladbach and Werder Bremen during their pre-season friendly campaign and they were on course to add another after Nemanja Vucicevic fired them into a second half lead at the Landsberg Stadium.
However, Paul Gallagher then denied the Germans a victory with a timely 88th minute equaliser, prompting Hughes to hail it as an excellent workout for his players.
"It was a tough test," said the Rovers boss.
"1860 are a good side and that was something like their sixth game in preparation and that always makes a difference at this time of the year.
"I think one of the games they played was against Werder Bremen (who have qualified for the Champions League) only a week or so ago and they beat them 3-1, so they're a good young side technically and we were on the back foot because of that at times.
"I thought we came more into the game in the second half once we got a bit more of a foothold.
"Some of our players are at a different level than others (fitness wise) and you always find that at this time of year.
"But they'll all be better for this game and we're looking forward to the next one now."
Rovers have now played two friendlies, drawing both of them, and they face Spanish side Real Mallorca in Austria tomorrow, when Hughes will be looking for his players to step up another level again.
"It's all about timing as much as anything at this stage," added the Rovers boss.
"You can only do so much on the training field but you have to have match fitness.
"Physical fitness is something you can get very easily but, in terms of match fitness, it's a case of getting the minutes in your legs and they'll be better for this game and the one tomorrow.
"The games are starting to come thick and fast and it's good that we're getting into them now."
Hughes also confirmed that Paul Dickov and Matt Jansen both missed Saturday's game after picking up thigh strains in training.
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