THERE’S a new face at the Moss Rose – and John Askey is hoping he’ll help fire them to glory this season.

The Macclesfield Town manager has given his squad a much-needed shot in the arm with the loan capture of Barnsley's Mike Phenix.

And while the striker/wideman’s name offers much scope for comedy punning, Askey’s deadly serious about the impact he could have for his side.

“Hopefully Mike will burst into flame for us and help us rise,” he offered helpfully after securing Phenix’s services until the end of the seasson.

“Obviously we haven’t been scoring as many goals as we’d like in recent weeks so that’s something we needed to address.

“I’ve been trying to get people in to change that but there just haven’t been the right ones available and we have to get the right people in, players that will improve the squad, not just add another body for the sake of it.”

John Askey felt his attacking options needed a fresh face

After a campaign in which he lost more than a month due to a bout of the bowel condition ulcerative colitis, Phenix began this season impressively at AFC Telford.

Make that quite impressively.

Two yellow cards in their season-opener at Welling meant he was suspended when Macc won in Telford the following Tuesday.

Nevertheless, he hit four goals in his first seven games, and six in 14 before a move to Oakwell and League One for a rumoured five-figure fee and a club record for the Bucks.

The 6ft 1in attacker, who turned 26 at the weekend, has only featured twice in the league for Barnsley, both substitute outings, but Askey feels the former Bolton Wanderers youth can help fire Macc back to the Football League.

“He’s in his mid-20s and he’s got Conference experience,” added the Silkmen boss, whose side were beaten at Gateshead in their last match but still sit third in the table before hosting Nuneaton Town this weekend.

“He’s similar to Luke Waterfall and Liam Hogan, in that he’s plied his trade lower down and then gone up the leagues, so he knows all about the hustle and bustle in the Conference.

“He had a good record in a Telford side that’s been struggling. I think he’s more of a wide player and goals from out wide is another area where we’d like to improve.”

Askey is backing Waide Fairhurst (above) and Matthew Barnes-Homer (below) to get back on the goal trail

Those thinking that the Moss Rose is now a closed shop would be off the mark, as Askey still has designs on adding further to his forward options.

The goals from the front men have dried up somewhat. Leading scorer and frequent assister Waide Fairhurst hasn’t found the net since early February – and neither has Matthew Barnes-Homer.

And Askey isn’t ruling out a move to boost his attacking options.

A return for Denny Johnstone, who was recalled by Birmingham, sent out to Cheltenham and is now back at St Andrew’s, is still a possibility.

“The forwards need help, but there’s no one out there that’s any better than what we’ve got,” he added.

“Sometimes it’s a lot harder as a front player, or a creative player, to maintain your form over the course of a season, but I’m sure the lads we’ve got will get banging a few in again very soon.

“We’d have liked to get Denny back and that hasn’t happened yet but it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.”