Striker Griff Jones' planned comeback has not gone smoothly but the glitch is not a recurrence of the injury that has seen him waiting months to make his competitive first-team debut.

The close-season signing has been sidelined since playing in the second half of a pre-season friendly.

He recently made a couple of appearances for the reserves and scored but ended up back at hospital.

"Griff was looking sharp but he has encountered a problem with his knee - the one which has kept him out so long," said Avenue boss Benny Phillips.

"It was giving him a problem so we sent him to get it x-rayed and fortunately it was good news. We didn't think that it was the old injury, it wasn't on his knee cap but just below it.

"The x-rays came back clear but the medical people did tell him to rest it because he was doing too much. It sounds daft really after the length of time he has been out.

"But it is believed that it is just a niggling little problem that will completely recover with a short rest. He could be involved tomorrow. He trained with the rest of the squad after sitting out the midweek game at Ossett.

"It was a bit worrying really, added to the other little knocks and bruises the other lads are suffering from and the injury to Paul Gedman.

"Mark Jones played 65 minutes at Ossett which was good but it is too early for him to come back into the first team for a league game.

"He needs match fitness. You can only get that from playing so I hope Mark will be getting games in the reserves. Not the odd 45 minutes here or there but a run in the side.

"With Paul, Mark, Griff and Ross Clegg all having recent injuries and Paul Collins being out, it was looking like our bad luck had returned and the squad was getting a bit on the thin side once again.

"That isn't the case, mercifully, but to head off any such worries over the coming months I may get a striker, either on loan or a permanent transfer.

It is no coincidence that Avenue's recent form, which has brought them seven straight wins in the UniBond Division One North, has come since Phillips was able to name a settled side.

The pairing of Gedman and Mike Moseley up front has been very productive, Gedman plundering 11 goals and Moseley 13. And the defence has been rock solid since Lincoln Adams and Matt Daly were thrown together.