NEWPORT County boss Terry Butcher has declared his squad fully fit and raring to go ahead of the start of the new campaign.

The Exiles have had upwards of ten players on the treatment table this summer, a situation made all the worse due to the fact that the clubs new physio, Gary Aldridge, only officially joined last week after working a notice period for his job within the NHS.

However, despite seeing more injuries than you’d find in an A&E unit after Black Friday, Butcher is delighted to have a fully fit squad, other than long-term absentee Andrew Hughes, available for the trip to Cambridge.

“It’s that exciting last week for us now, our preparations are nearly complete and we are just working up to the big kick-off now,” he told Argus Sport.

“We had the option of a little rest at the weekend and took it, because it is a hectic start to the campaign, and you’ll get no opportunity to bring that intensity down.

“Three of our first four games are away from home, it’s tricky, and you want as many available players as possible.”

And Butcher doesn’t anticipate that being an issue.

“Only Andrew Hughes is out at the moment, everyone who has had a niggle is desperate to get back in time for Cambridge and that’s what we anticipate happening,” he said.

“Gary Aldridge has been incredibly busy since his arrival, but we feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel on the injury front now.

“Our youth physios have done a superb job in bridging the gap, and we expect to have everyone fit and firing on Saturday.”

Butcher believes County are ready to hit the ground running this season, despite ominous predictions as to where they might finish and how they could struggle after a summer with a huge turnover of personnel.

“We felt like the football improved over pre-season, we had some ups and downs in terms of the results, but the performances were encouraging and the players are enjoying themselves,” he said.

“They have also shown me that we have the right fight and spirit about us as a group.

“Lots of these players, both ones we’ve recruited from non-league football and the academy graduates, they are desperate to show they have what it takes to succeed in the Football League.”