THE long wait for Worcester City fans finally ends next week when the team gets back into action in the first of its pre-season friendlies.

A trip to Oldbury United on Monday is followed by a glamorous home clash with First Division Coventry City on Wednesday.

The following attractions for City include a home game with Wolves on Monday, August 6.

Assistant boss Mick Tuohy said: "It is good to get back into competitive action. At this stage they are still part of the fitness schedule, but then as we get closer to the start of the season we will go with more of the technical stuff."

Tuohy, who has taken charge for the last week with boss John Barton on holiday, has

been highly delighted with the players' progress in training so far.

He said: "It has been excellent, and we are all looking forward to getting under way properly in the next few weeks.

"The one major bonus this summer has been the weather. With it being more like autumn than summer, it has been a lot easier to do all the physical work, especially when we have been up on the Malvern Hills.

"These days players don't lose a lot of fitness because they get very little break in the summer."

City's new signings Jon Holloway, Allan Davies and Matt Gardiner have all featured prominently in training along with a number of trialists, although several players have not featured in the sessions due to holidays.

Tuohy added: "There are probably six or seven players who have missed the first two weeks, but if they think they have missed the Malvern Hills, they haven't!"