A little later than we initially hoped, but here's an extended version of Austin McCann's latest Magpie's Blog with the very latest from the Notts camp, including his reaction to the Mike Edwards injury, the fact the squad are going to 'do it for Eddy' and also some more funny escapades from Devon.

Well it is Blog time again, and apologies for the delay in this latest update but after what happened to Mike Edwards last Thursday night we decided it was best to hold back on things until my next edition.

It is a shame about Mike; especially after a good week in Cornwall it overshadowed events if you like. It is really unfortunate for him, especially after being out for a year a few years ago with a cruciate ligament injury. It is just one of those freak accidents, but of course it is devastating for him and the club as a whole.

We're already looking forward to having him back with us, because we know he overcame the last injury and didn't miss a game for two years; there's no doubt this boy can come back.

But, there's a real determination to 'do it' for Mike now. The Manager said before the Leicester game we have to get on with it and deal with it now. It is disappointing, but he is urging us to go out and do it for Mike because he would give anything to be out there. So, we're really going to go and try and do our best for him.

I would like to think I'm as close to Eddy as anyone else in the camp, and it has been a real blow to me in the last few days and I've felt it quite a bit. We know Mike can fight back, and we want to be in as good as a position for Mike when he comes back, knowing he will be in a successful side we all are determined to do it so perhaps he can come back and push us with that final burst towards promotion.

I'm sure Mike won't want us going on about us missing him, because now he has to get his mind on getting fit again. He won't want us to struggle and keep saying we miss him; that's not his style. His attitude that he wants the Club to do well and that is why he is our Club Captain. He is a top, top man and a great professional.

We know as well that promotion isn't won by a single individual; it is a squad game although obviously Mike was our Player of the Season last year so it is a blow but we're ready to crack on.

I rang Mike on Saturday morning to see how he was getting on, and I managed to sneak in the good news that I have now replaced him as his 'stunt double' for the Club Catalogue. Basically, Eddy was meant to be doing the modelling this week but because of his injury I've been asked to step in. He was pleased it was me though I can assure you!

Lawrie Dudfield isn't too impressed, and he calls me and Eddy stunt-doubles anyway because he thinks we look like a pair of Turkish blokes for some reason. That's why I shaved my head, to get rid of that tag. Lawrie wouldn't have got picked anyway, not with those sideburns although he is in the 'boldie' queue for the Catalogue.

Getting back to Cornwall, it was a good week and the new boys fitted in well. The Golfers had fun, including Eddy who seemed to ping every shot down the middle despite saying he hadn't played for two years. He must be one of these guys who excel at every sport!

The new boys fitted in well like I said, and none more so than Butch, Mayo and Hector Sam! As I said in my Blog from Cornwall last week, they had a much bigger TV than us in the Hotel; and by some pure luck we (Me & Hunty) got their room key! Anyway, the long and short of it was that they spent the rest of the trip watching TV on a tiny little 12-inch telly while me, Hunty and Parky enjoyed watching the box with a widescreen Samsung! We took a picture with our faces covered with the TV and we sent it to Butch who didn't have any of the lads' numbers so he didn't know who it was. I have Alan White to thank for that! They said they wanted it back, but our room was like Fort Knox in the last few days!

We initially tried to nick the one out of what we thought was Gary Silk's room, but it turned out to be Jason Lee's so it is a good job the TV didn't fit out the window! Instead we just raided their room for sweets, newspapers, chewing gum and everything else we could find. About an hour later there was a bang on the door from Big Jason, so we played dumb about that and enjoyed the free food!

It was all good fun, especially for the Golfers. There were a few bandits out there and none more so that John Gannon who says he plays off a 14 which is an absolute disgrace! He must be a single-figure handicapper.

So, it was pretty satisfying at the Saltash and St Blazey games to see a few fans with some old pictures of the staff in their playing days which they wanted signing. There was a great shot of Ganns with his mullet at Sheffield United and the Manager in his Lincoln days! We also saw a few of John Haselden when he played, so it was funny to see what they looked like in their heyday!

It certainly brought Ganns back down to earth after his escapades on the Golf Course. He was walking around all high and mighty, but he was back down to earth with a big bump when he saw those.

I could go on about some of the other stories such as Parky's snoring and Hunty's sleeptalking to name a few, but I could fill this Blog twice over if I did! Let's just say Parky had bad hayfever one night and forced me and Hunty into little sleep, while Hunty has been shouting Pilks' name in his sleep - something funny going on there me thinks!

Reflecting on Leicester on Saturday; it was a tough game. The Championship is totally different to League Two, and I think as they liked to play football just as much as us it gave us a bit of time and space to play it around. Fitness wise it was great to get another hour under our belts as such to prepare us for the season, and we know it will be much tougher come August 11 at Grimsby. It has done us well, and will kick us on for the rest of pre-season.

I think there's a lot of hard work to be put in now, with only three games to go. I think team shape, set-pieces and how we are going to go about of business will be high on the agenda. We know Friday at Ilkeston is really important and each session gets that little bit more important too.

We're gearing up for the Forest one now, which is the one we know all the fans are looking forward to now! Bring them on I say!

That's it from me for another edition. I've been doing overtime in the last few days, so hope you've enjoyed some inside knowledge. I'm sure before the next few weeks are out there will be another Blog coming your way!

Take care,

Oz