GRAEME Jones aims to put his injury nightmare behind him Saturday when he returns to the Shakers' first team fold against one of his former clubs.

The experienced striker has only started one game since arriving from Boston United in the summer, due to a recurring calf problem.

But after getting in a second 90 minutes action in the reserves this week, boss Graham Barrow looks certain to give the 34-year-old a place on the substitutes bench when Southend United visit Gigg Lane Saturday (3pm).

It's been a frustrating season so far for Jones, who spent eight months with the Roots Hall club two seasons ago after a spell in Scotland with St Johnstone.

He is set to quit the professional game at the end of the season and desperately wanted to end his nomadic career with a flourish.

But his recovery could be a blessing for Barrow who has missed the option of using the Gateshead-born strikers strength and experience up front.

On target in the second string's 2-1 victory at Stockport on Wednesday were Jon Newby and Terry Dunfield and the result extended the team's season-long unbeaten run.

One player who was left out of the game as a precaution was defender Paul Scott as he is set to deputise for suspended Colin Woodthorpe, dismissed in Tuesday night's 2-2 draw against Wycombe Wanderers.

Woodthorpe has learned that he will be out for three matches which will stretch the clubs wafer-thin squad to the limit.

With that in mind Barrow is keen that no more of his players pick up needless yellow or red cards.

"Both Dave Challinor and Dwayne Mattis are only one booking away from suspensions," he said.

"We don't want too many players missing over the busy Christmas programme.

"We cleaned our act up after the Stockport game when we had two sent off and will now have to watch ourselves again."

Of the two players missing from Tuesday's game through injury, midfielder Mattis has the best chance of being fit for the game and he will have a late fitness test to ascertain if hes recovered from his back injury in time.

Defender Matt Barrass (bruised ribs) was the other, but he still in some pain and unlikely to be available until next week.

Barrow has noticed teams have been treating the Shakers with a great deal of respect in recent weeks and the word is spreading that his side aren't the pushovers some newspaper pundits were predicting before the season kicked off.

"The last three teams we've played have changed their own tactics to counter us," he explained.

"They are putting an extra man in midfield to make it much tighter.

"Opposition managers are saying very complimentary things about us and that's to our credit.

"John Gorman (Wycombe's manager) said he'd seen the videos of our games at Swansea and Northampton and feared the worst when we scored so early on Tuesday night."

The manager expects Saturday's game to be another tough one as he rates the Shrimpers as one of the best teams in the division.

"We watched them down at Northampton recently when they won, and they are very lively up front," he said.

"They are a decent side but that's not a bad thing as far as we are concerned.

"We just have to stick together as we have been doing.

"Usually the league position you are in at this stage of the season is about right, but with the points total so tight in our division I think its different this year.

"I don't think our position reflects how well we are doing. I think we are a top four or five team and if that puts pressure on us I don't care, I know all about football at this level.

"I also know that if we start to get the luck that we are missing at the moment, we are sure to move up the table."