Polot saw off Metallurg Cherepovets 4:1 in a club friendly on Friday. The visitors made it five wins on the spin, though this one carried a different weight given the home side's recent struggles. Metallurg's defence looked open at times, and Polot took their chances without fuss.
Metallurg have been finding wins hard to come by. They lost 1:4 to Almaz, then went down 1:6 to Lokomotiv-76, and before that they'd been beating Granit fairly comfortably. This result fits a pattern — they're not dropping goals at the other end anymore.
Polot come from a different place. They've been playing Granit repeatedly and trading results — 5:4 one day, 2:3 the next. They beat Fakel 4:1 last time out, and this feels like the next step. Not a statement win, but not a stumble either.
The scoreline tells you what you need to know. Metallurg can't keep their shape when teams press. Polot are on a good run and they're starting to string things together. That's enough for a friendly, though you'd want more certainty if this were anything else.