Andy van der Meyde is determined to get a full preseason under his belt and prove his value to Everton.
"The game (in Northern Ireland) was good for the conditioning but you don't need to look at the game itself."
The former Inter Milan wideman explained that maintaining a high level of fitness was key in avoiding the injury problems that have stifled his Everton career so far.
"A full pre-season is very important for me because you are working with the group and the conditioning gets better every day and that is important to not getting injured," said van der Meyde.
"It doesn't really matter who you play in pre-season because it is part of the fitness work.
"If you win or lose it is the hard work that counts."