Youth team boss Neil Woods broke off from a busy pre-season schedule to give us an update on his youngsters.

Speaking on iFollow Mariners, he said: “I’m really pleased with the condition that the boys have come back in.

“Because of the condition that they’ve come back in, including the first year as well, it’s meant that we haven’t had to have too many soft easy days, we’ve worked at a good intensity.

“It’s been tough. There’s only one way you can get fit, and that’s hard work.

“They have shown us a good attitude to want to work hard.”

Woods has brought into his squad players from Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Norwich during the summer, but he is hoping to bring the next Town star in from the local intake.

He said: “Our main aim is to get them from our own system, that’s the point of having it. That hopefully gives the local players and the local lads that chance and opportunity.

“Obviously over the last two years we had Rumarn (Burrell), Rumarn was an exceptional athlete. Any running that we did, short or long, Rumarn won by a long way. We had quite a lot that struggled with the running last year initially. This year we haven’t got the stand out one but we haven’t got anyone struggling.”