AFC BOURNEMOUTH’S interest in Magpies’ defender Gary Bowles has come as no surprise to assistant-boss Phil Simkin.

The 22-year-old turned out for the Cherries in a 2-2 draw at Winchester last Thursday and did enough to earn an invite to train with the Npower League One outfit this week.

Bowles though remains contracted to the county town side, who stand to benefit from any potential move.

Simkin said: “We’ve not had any real feedback at the moment so we’ll just wait and see how it pans out.

“However, it’s no surprise that they are interested in him as he is an exceptionally talented player. Technically, he is probably the best equipped in our team.

“Last season we used him in midfield at times and he took to it like a duck to water.

“People often don’t realise how good he really is.”

Cherries’ boss Lee Bradbury admits he may need to bolster his defensive options in the wake of Ryan Garry’s retirement.

He said: “We are looking at it because we would only need one injury and we would be struggling a little bit.

“We have got four with Mathieu Baudry, Shaun Cooper, Adam Barrett and Mitchell Nelson. But it might be an area that we might need to strengthen.”

The Magpies’ next pre-season outing is Saturday’s home clash with fierce rivals Weymouth (3pm).

* See Thursday's Echo for a Mark Jermyn testimonial special.