Dumbarton manager Stevie Farrell insists he knows his side may have to sacrifice some clean sheets for more attacking football in the season ahead.

Sons returned to action in the last week with a 2-1 closed-doors victory over Calendonian Braves on Tuesday followed up with a 3-2 defeat to Hebburn Town on Saturday.

Farrell’s side has shown a real sign of what is to come in the season ahead with their shape and approach to those fixtures with a high-pressing 4-3-3 formation on show that is leading to some exciting play in the final third.

It has, however, left Dumbarton more vulnerable at the back despite the club breaking a record last season for most clean sheets kept in one season.

The Sons boss admits he has been pleased with the way his side have adapted to the new system and is excited with how much they can still improve.

Speaking post-match, he said: “I was delighted, I thought it was a good workout.

“Can we get better, of course we can, but there’s a lot of good things there.

“We are trying to change the way we play which I think everybody seen, both without the ball in terms of being higher in the press and then building through the lines and from the back.

“I thought we created a lot of chances and could have been 2-0 up in the first 2 minutes, there was some great play.

“Changing the style a wee bit is going to do that but we’re going to have to understand that back the way we have to get better as well because you can’t be as defensively solid with the way we are going to try and play this year as we were last year.

“In terms of the back end of the pitch I thought we built up really well and even though we scored two goals I think we can still get better at the top end of the pitch in terms of our movement and getting in behind.

“That will all come but the boys are certainly working hard and enjoying it.

“It’s only our second game trying it and I’ve seen a lot of good things and a lot we can still improve on and get better.”

Farrell was delighted with the test that Hebburn offered and would much rather see his players challenged in pre-season than comfortably win games against lesser opposition.

He added: “We purposely picked the English teams because they are a very good standard and you’re not going to get any easy games and it’ll be the same this Saturday against Workington.

“I said to their manager that their team would compete in our league every day of the week, if not the bottom end of League One.

“You can go and get friendlies where you go and win 8, 9 or 10-0 but it’s false.”

Sons take on St Mirren at The Rock on Tuesday, kick-off is at 7.45pm, before a trip to Workington on Saturday.