CHRISTIAN Fox has been recalled from his loan spell in Northern Ireland and if fit will be back in the York City squad for tonight's basement battle with Lincoln City.

Midfielder Fox has played four times for Larne in the Smirnoff Irish League first division, scoring one goal in the process and, although he initially joined until the end of the season Minstermen boss Terry Dolan wants him back in the fold for the run-in.

Another boost for City is the return of top scorer Michael Proctor, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring strain, while fit-again Darren Edmondson, who returned to the fray from the substitutes' bench on Saturday, will definitely start.

Dolan said of Fox: "We're bringing him back because of the injuries we've got and, while he's been playing in Ireland, he's been training with us and is looking sharp. We need him with us for the rest of the season."

Dolan said Fox had reportedly been playing well and, if he recovers from an ankle knock sustained on Saturday, would be in tonight's squad.

"If he's not in the squad tonight, he will be in on Saturday," he added.

Dolan also quashed rumours linking Proctor, who is on loan from Sunderland, with a move to promotion certainties Luton Town. Hatters' boss Joe Kinnear was allegedly keen to take Proctor to Kenilworth Road as part of a £1million-plus deal that would see Luton left-back Matt Taylor join the Black Cats.

But Dolan said there was nothing in the rumours and that Proctor had not been affected by the continued speculation linking him with moves from Bootham Crescent.

"He has learnt a lot from his time here, I am sure," said the City boss.

"He's got 12 goals and we're hoping for a few more. Anybody who gets in double figures has to say it's been a reasonable season."

Nick Richardson is still out of contention but should be fit in time for Saturday's trip to Macclesfield, while Marc Salvati is on stand-by should Fox fail a fitness test. Apart from new recruit Scott Jones the squad is the same as that which was on duty for Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Kidderminster.

Lincoln are two places and one point above second-bottom City but have played two games more, and Dolan added: "This is our next game in hand and if we win we can move up three or four places.

"The good side is we've still got eight games and plenty of points to play for but the down side, from the point of view of keeping the players fresh, is we've got to fit them in in three and a half weeks.

"We want to finish as high as possible but the first hurdle is to get so many points in front of Halifax that they can't catch us."

Updated: 11:30 Tuesday, March 26, 2002