MICHAEL Collins cannot wait to welcome back City’s “fox in the box” Alex Jones.

The striker is still to kick his first ball in anger this season as he recovers from the effects of the ankle injury that wrecked his last campaign.

Having played 45 minutes in the opening friendly against Guiseley, Jones has found himself back on the sidelines as a frustrated spectator once more.

But Collins is optimistic that Jones is not far away from featuring again – and is looking forward to having a frontman at his disposal that he believes will offer an alternative option.

Collins said: “He’s slightly different in the way he plays to the other ones that we’ve got.

“Eoin (Doyle) knows the level and brings a lot of facets from his game. George (Miller) is one that’s full of energy and he’s happy to harass defenders and get after them.

“Jonesy is more of a fox in the box and puts chances away. That was probably one thing that was lacking for us on Tuesday against Macclesfield.

“We created enough chances to win the game but we just lacked that killer edge. The sooner we can have him back around the better.”

Jones has not played a senior game since November and underwent season-ending surgery in January.

His goals-to-games ratio would provide a welcome boost for City but they remain very wary not to take any chances with his fitness after such a lengthy time out of action.

Collins added: “When you’ve been out for spells and then come back, if you don’t bridge that gap gently then sometimes it can be a little bit too much.

“But he’s very close and he’s chomping at the bit to get involved.

“He’s been very disappointed to have been out for so long and then back and then out.

“That’s difficult to deal with for anyone but he’s been very professional about it.

“We’ve obviously got to be very careful with him, especially with the intensity of throwing him straight back in.

“(The mental worry) will naturally be there with any player until he gets that run of games or training. The only way that settles down is with a prolonged period of involvement.

“But we’re looking forward to having him back in the fold and he’ll add strength to an area where we could probably do with one more body.”