Harvey played for 90 minutes in the opening friendly at Welsh Premier League outfit Airbus UK Broughton on Saturday. While the rest of Cox’s first-team squad were all replaced at one time or another during the 1-1 draw as he fielded a number of triallists, Harvey stayed the course and impressed his manager. He was also a substitute in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory at Stockport County.
It continued on from his strong late-season displays for the Bluebirds as they battled their way into the top half of the National League with a long run of good form at the end of the 2015/16 campaign.
“I thought Al-Ray Harvey was excellent,” said Cox of the 26-year-old Burnley youth product, who signed a new one-year deal at Holker Street earlier this summer.
“He got through 90 minutes. I promised everybody that they would get through around 45 to 50 minutes, but Al probably didn’t know what was happening, because we left him on.
“I thought he was excellent for the entire game and he started where he left off last season with his performance.
“He was tenacious, calm in possession and he covered a lot of ground. The Al-Ray that I’m knowing now just got on with it.
“For the first game, I thought he was excellent.”
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