Conor McAleny wants to put his injury hell to bed by firing Fleetwood to an FA Cup upset against Leicester

So it is no surprise that Fleetwood forward Conor McAleny is eyeing a return to the starting line-up for tomorrow's huge televised FA Cup third round clash with Leicester City.

McAleny, 25, made his last start for Town in the 2-0 win over Oxford in October.

But a recurrence of his niggling ankle injury saw him back on the sidelines before coming off the bench in the 2-0 win at Bury and 2-1 defeat to Bradford City.

Now McAleny, who joined Town from Premier League side Everton in the summer, is hoping to up his recovery against the 2016 champions tomorrow.

He said: "If I could choose personally (when to start again) it would be Leicester.

"It is a big team and you want to see where you are at when you go up against these top players.

"They are a Premier League side.

"It is where everyone here wants to be.

"It is going to be a real test for us and hopefully we can do ourselves proud.

"It is the FA Cup everyone is hoping for an upset and what better way to do it than against a team like Leicester."

This is McAleny's third comeback from the ankle injury he picked up in the second league game of the season at Northampton.

But he says he is back for good and that the secret this time was a lengthier spell off the pitch.

And the forward is full of confidence.

He said: "In myself I'm 100 per cent obviously I'm not fit enough to play a 90 minute game but I am playing 20 minutes here and there and it will not be long before I'm ready for a full 90 minute game.

"This time we took our time and did things a bit differently.

"It is just being a little bit more careful, doing everything right and this one is the right one.

"We took a lot longer out, that is just going to give me a lot more confidence going into those tackles.

"I feel confident in myself and I feel like I'm in a good place.

"(the festive period) went really well, I put in the work in the sessions, had a couple of appearances the last few weeks which has helped a lot and I'm just gradually building up to match fitness."

McAleny is hoping for a better 2018 after an injury hit end to 2017, though he would not reveal his goals for the New Year.

He said: "Ask every player they have their own goals, I will keep them to myself and hopefully I can hit them."