PHIL Simkin is counting down the days until his charges report back for pre-season training.

The Magpies are due to hold their first session of the summer next Thursday evening and the county town boss cannot wait to get started.

He said: “We start pre-season training on Thursday. We won’t be doing a great deal. We will meet the players and weigh them and we will have a stretch.

“The main hard work will start next Saturday and we will go from there.

“We have a good amount of trialists coming down and we have some good quality ones judging by their CVs.

“We will have a look but we haven’t got too much scope financially. But we will be in a position to do one or two things if needs be.”

Simkin went on to add: “I’m pleased with how things are going. The sooner we get back in the better as I want to get underway and start preparing properly.

“Stuart Heath (assistant-manager) has put together a first-class programme and there will be things that are a lot different to what some of the lads will have done before.”