Peterborough United's Ricky-Jade Jones relieved injuries have stayed away and is ready to go on a scoring run

Posh's 19-year-old star Ricky-Jade Jones is feeling good right now. He is finally back in the goals but more importantly, injury free.

Jones’s goal, that made it 3-0 at Milton Keynes, was his first in the league since May 2021; the final day of two seasons ago at Doncaster where Posh were already celebrating promotion and came away with a 4-1 win.

Now that the 17-month run is finally over, Jones is both relieved and looking forward to going on a run of goals to take the pressure off Jonson Clarke-Harris, who is leading the league’s scoring charts with eight goals.

Upcoming home games against Burton Albion and Forest Green, who sit 23rd and 22nd in the league respectively, appear to offer a perfect opportunity.

Jones said: “It has been a long time coming in terms of a league goal, my last one was at Doncaster on the final day of the season we got promoted, so it was great for me to get back on the scoresheet in the league and hopefully I can go on a bit of a run now in front of goal.

“We have so much talent in forward areas. You can’t for one second think you are safe in the line-up. You have to perform because otherwise someone will come and take your shirt.

"I do think the three of us who are playing at the minute are really different. We have different things to bring to the party, but ultimately our job is to score goals and we all got on the scoresheet on Saturday.

Jones has been marked as a bright prospect at the club for a long time, having made his first-team debut at age 16 against Arsenal Under-21s in the Checkatrade Trophy in October 2019.

He made his league debut a month later, by which time he had turned 17, in 1-0 win at home against Saturday’s opponents Burton Albion.

Since then though, he has only made 67 appearances across three seasons and the beginning of this. The main reason for this has been a series of niggling injuries that have hampered his progress and kept him out for significant periods.

This year though, Jones has come through pre-season without any problems and has played his way right into Grant McCann’s first-team plans; particularly since the change to the 4-3-3 formation.

He added: “For me personally, I think it was just really good to get through pre-season without picking an injury up because that has been the biggest frustration in the last few years.

"I have been working hard and then I just pick something up and it curtails my progress and I have to play catch-up. Touch-wood, I am feeling fit and healthy and long may that continue.”