Winger Jones set to resume training

Steve Jones is set to end his injury nightmare with the Walsall winger ready to resume full training.

The nine-goal wideman has been out for over two moths with a groin problem, after several aborted attempts at a comeback.

But the Saddlers are now hopeful the 33-year-old has fully recovered from the persistent injury and boss Chris Hutchings is expecting him to return soon.

He said: "Steve will join in with us today and maybe tomorrow, with the view to joining in next week. He'll be doing a bit of a warm up today but his strengthening work seems to be doing the trick at the moment.

"He's very positive about it. He's got to be careful as a little slip could overstretch it, but he's done a lot of strengthening work and he feels a lot happier."

Jones will not be available for Saturday's trip to Oldham and Tuesday's clash at promotion chasing Leeds will also come too soon, with next weekend's visit of Brentford the earliest possible return.

The Saddlers have struggled without their talisman, but picked up their first win in their nine games with a 1-0 victory at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday.

They continue to be without hamstring injury victim Rhys Weston, who is two weeks away from a first-team return, while Sam Parkin is struggling with a groin problem.

But Manny Smith has returned to training and will be fit for Saturday's game at Boundary Park, but the Saddlers defence have impressed in his absence.

Goalkeeper Clayton Ince, who saved a penalty on Tuesday, reckons three clean sheets in four games proves their strength.

He said: "It gives us the belief we can be in the top 10 and not struggling or fighting for relegation. During the Christmas break when we didn't play, the guys really dug deep into themselves to put in a good performance for the second-half of the season.

"We've been conceding sloppy goals and simple goals but we complement each other now."

Ince's form, along with fellow veteran Jamie Vincent, has been the catalyst for the Saddlers' defensive revival and the goalkeeper admits their presence can be key.

He said: "With Jamie coming in with his experience it helps the back four look solid and it gives them a big boost."