EMMANUEL Panther is expecting to give York City fans an early Christmas present by returning to first-team action before the start of the festive season.

The former Partick Thistle midfielder has been sidelined for the last five matches since damaging ankle ligaments during the 2-1 home victory over Canvey Island last month but intends to resume full training next Monday.

Panther, 21, reported back to City's Wigginton Road training ground yesterday for light jogging - just ten days after a cartilage operation - and believes he could even be in first-team contention for the December 10 Conference clash at Hereford although City boss Billy McEwan has insisted he will not be rushed back and risk a recurrence of the problem.

McEwan's men only have one match scheduled before then - Saturday's trip to Morecambe - and Panther's return would provide a welcome boost ahead of the Yuletide holiday.

Panther said: "I've started light jogging and am looking to be fit and doing a bit of ball work towards the end of this week before returning to full training. I'm hoping to be back in the first team in the next fortnight but I will have missed six weeks by then and it will be a case of seeing how my fitness is.

"I may need to play a couple of reserve games before I think about getting back into the first team."

Should his rehabilitation go to plan, Panther will be able to test his fitness in Pontin's Holiday League East matches against Hartlepool (November 30) and Scarborough (December 7) before the visit to Edgar Street.

By then, Panther will have been without a senior outing since October 15 but he admits that a serious knee injury when he was a teenager at St Johnstone has helped put his latest setback into perspective.

He said: "When I first turned full-time at St Johnstone, I had nine months out with knee tendonitis. This is nothing compared to that.

"It was hard being told as a young 17-year-old, who had just turned full-time, that I needed an operation that would keep me out for the rest of the season but I had a lot of experienced players around me who said I had to keep my head up. You can't show that you are depressed and, with Mark Hotte and Nathan Peat both being out as well, we have concentrated on egging each other on and supporting the team.

"It's definitely worse being out when the side are losing because you want to help the lads out but we got a point at Kidderminster and were a bit unlucky not to get more. Hopefully, that could be something to build on in the next couple of weeks."

Panther confirmed that the "cursed" captain's armband worn in quick succession by himself and fellow casualties Hotte and Peat has now been discarded.

Fourth-choice skipper Jamie Price has survived four matches with its replacement on his sleeve and, despite the injuries, third-choice Panther believes City do not lack leadership qualities.

He said: "We're a young team and are all kind of similar. In terms of leadership, we still have Chris Porter, Jamie Price, James Dudgeon and David McGurk and I'm sure we have enough in the squad to still win games and keep the side up there while we are out."

Panther also had praise for Lev Yalcin, who has been handed the difficult task of deputising for City's key midfield man.

He said: "Lev has coped well. He's doing a similar job to the one I was doing and, even though he had not been playing much, has not made any mistakes and that's the main thing.

"I'm sure he will do better the more games he plays."

Club captain Hotte should be ready for a playing return in two weeks' time after his shoulder injury.

City manager McEwan was today hoping to tie up a deal for a midfielder ahead of tomorrow's transfer deadline.

Updated: 10:59 Wednesday, November 23, 2005