UPDATE: Tonight's Newport County AFC versus Undy Athletic pre-season friendly will now take place at Dragon Park (pitch 2) at the Newport International Sports Village due to concerns over the playing surface at Undy. The kick-off is now 7.15pm.

NEWPORT County boss Terry Butcher says the club are closing in on another new signing after swooping for a defender, but admits the Exiles’ pre-season campaign isn’t an ideal one.

County return to action tomorrow night at local rivals Undy Athletic (kick-off 7pm) with Butcher set to run the rule over several trialists.

The Argus understands at least three players will be given the chance to impress, with Butcher intending to give the rest of his squad 45 minute run-outs.

However, the boss is likely to have at least two more bodies available by the time County travel to Port Talbot on Saturday.

One will be defender Matt Taylor, 33, the central defender who joins from Cheltenham Town. His arrival will be confirmed imminently with Cheltenham already announcing his release.

He’s penned a one-year contract with County.

Taylor has had previous spells with Charlton Athletic and Bradford City and has over 200 Football League appearances under his belt.

“We are close to having two more signings announced, the one we hoped to maybe do on Friday (Taylor) is nearly there, we are just waiting on his clearance from his former club,” Butcher told Argus Sport yesterday, before the news of his arrival.

“So it might be that we have double news there, it could be a case of announcing them both on the same day.”

Butcher admits the club are on the look-out for experienced campaigners with 28-year old Yan Klukowski currently the elder statesman of the Rodney Parade dressing room.

“We are looking for experienced players; that little bit of quality that can supplement what we already have and add strength to the spine of our squad,” Butcher confirmed.

“It is great to have a squad with lots of youth and energy, but you need to get that balance right.”

Butcher is excited about Tuesday’s return to action.

“We’ve worked very hard, we’ve had seven days of fitness work and now it’s more about team shape and match preparation, which is nice for us,” he said.

“We are looking at trying to give most of players 45 minutes and we will have some trialists to have a look at as well.

“Undy will be viewing it as a very big game and we must have that same intensity about us.”

Butcher did however; admit that County’s pre-season programme isn’t an ideal one, with Newport currently having no game the weekend of July 18 as well as a free weekend at the start of August, just a week before the campaign begins.

“The schedule isn’t ideal, the problem has arisen in myself and my staff coming to the club quite late in the day,” he explained.

“It isn’t a decision we’ve made to have the free weekends. It is just the circumstances we are dealing with.

“Normally you’d discuss this sort of thing at the end of the season, but we’ve still got a couple of free slots we’d ideally like to fill.

“I’m not too worried that we have no game on July 18, we have friendlies before and after that time and it won’t make a big difference.

“But we’d prefer not to have a two-week gap between friendlies and the start of the season, as is the case at the moment.

“We’d like better preparation for the Cambridge game on the opening day and hopefully can still fill that slot and arrange another friendly.”

Butcher is without injured defensive trio Kevin Feely, Andrew Hughes and Regan Poole for tomorrow’s clash.

Butcher is looking forward to the arrival of new general manager Jason Turner this week and revealed his first task will be to announce County’s new physio, with a locally-based candidate set to be confirmed once he’s worked his notice period.