NEWPORT County’s playing squad will find out next week whether they are to be offered contracts for next season with the club also set to make announcements about their managerial plans, the Argus can reveal.

Boss Jimmy Dack is yet to reveal whether he wishes to stay at the club beyond the end of the current campaign, and only skipper Darren Jones has been informed he’s definitely wanted next season out of all of Newport’s senior players whose contracts expire this summer.

However, Dack has assured the players and supporters alike that the situation is in hand.

“Next week I expect is going to be a big week for contract talks, I know it is of concern to the fans and I think it needs to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible,” Dack explained.

“There are a lot of players with a lot of apprehension that they don’t know where they are going to be next season and we need to find out where we are going so the club can move forward.

“These boys aren’t on Premier League wages. They get a bit more money than a postman would, be it is just regular money and when you are on a one-year contract you have no stability in your life. You can’t be buying a house.

“It’s a tough business in League Two, 26-year old men with families living on year-to-year deals. They need to know what is happening as soon as possible.”

The Argus understands Jones has already been told he will be wanted next term and Dack has underlined the importance of his skipper, who could return from injury for Saturday’s trip to York.

Dack admits County wish they could’ve signed him years ago.

“Darren is so important to us, he’s a great character and a true professional,” he said.

“He’s a leader of men, he works hard and for me he’s been fantastic for us this season and will be for the next few, he’ll be a great servant for the club.

“We’d have maybe liked him earlier, definitely we would.

“I worked with Darren away from here at Aldershot and it’s a shame it took him so long to come back to Newport because this is his club.

“But his circumstances were that we were always crossing him and it never hit at the right time, but his contract was up last summer so it was right time to bring him back to his club.”