ANDY BOOTH is still in the wars for Town exactly 12 years after making his first-team debut.

The 30-year-old has been kicked around the League ever since his first appearance on March 10, 1992, and he's never shirked a challenge.

Booth's latest has been to play with a broken metacarpal bone in his left hand (between the wrist and the fingers) and he has battled through the matches at Oxford and Carlisle with a heavy strapping to protect the delicate injury.

Now, he is focusing on helping Peter Jackson's side to fulfil their promotion promise in a busy spell of matches to come - lowly Rochdale are McAlpine visitors on Tuesday (7.45) before Town head to Northampton next Saturday.

And he is also bidding to close in on that magical 100 goals for the club he loves.

Booth needs just four more to join George Brown, Jimmy Glazzard, Billy Smith and Les Massie in the record books as the only men to have notched a century for the Leeds Road club.

He would already be there, of course, but for the five years he spent with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, but he accepts it would be special to achieve it this season if it helped towards automatic promotion.

"I'm just delighted to be back and playing again after spending a month and a half injured at the start of the year," said Booth, who suffered a groin injury against Bury on December 28.

"It was terrible having to sit things out when the team were doing so well and I was just desperate to get back as quickly as I could.

"Obviously I now want to get back on the scoresheet sometime soon, having missed out in the six games so far, but it's not so much of a problem as long as we keep picking up the points that we need."

Booth has enjoyed playing alongside loan signing Pawel Abbott and he is relishing being part of another Town team hunting promotion.

The Honley-based striker netted 30 times, of course, when Town went up via the play-offs in 1995, including vital goals in the post-season semi-final against Brentford and the Wembley final showdown against Bristol Rovers.

When Town took on Brentford again in the play-off semis two seasons ago, Booth was on the mark with their only goal, so he knows all about delivering the goods in big matches.

"We've got a great chance of going up and it would be great if we could do it automatically," added Booth.

"The lads are playing well, giving everything and really enjoying being involved.

"We can't take anything for granted because everyone we play will be wanting to prove a point against Huddersfield Town, but everyone is determined to give the manager what he wants.

"It's a shame he's only got one song to play (Rock the Casbah by The Clash) but I suppose we will have to keep on listening to it while the results are good!"

While Booth is keen to add to his 10 goals so far, he is just as anxious to pay tribute to his colleagues for the way they have played - especially since the departure to Blackburn of 18-goal Jon Stead.

"Everybody has played well and done their bit, but I think the back three have been absolutely fantastic," said Booth.

"Efe Sodje, Steve Yates and Nathan Clarke have been outstanding for a while because they have faced some very difficult opponents.

"Unfortunately, Steve Yates picked up a knock at Carlisle, but Dave Mirfin came on and did a great job.

"The defensive record speaks for itself, and I think they deserve a tremendous amount of credit for dealing with everything that's been thrown at them.

"You only have to look back to the Oxford game to realise how much effort and commitment they put in.

"Sodje, particularly, did ever so well. He scored a great goal with a fantastic header - one fit to win any match.

"And with their fans giving him a load of stick, he paid them back in exactly the right way.

"Up front, I've enjoyed playing alongside Pav, who does a mountain of work, and then when you look at the lads in the other departments, they are working their socks off.

"It's great for young players like Jon Worthington, Andy Holdsworth and Anthony Lloyd to be doing so well.

"At the start of the season, they might have been hoping to push for the bench with the first team but now, they are in the starting line-up on merit.

"They are big players for us with an important job to do and, at the moment, they are doing all that the manager is demanding of them.

"It's very rare with young players that you get the consistency that you want, but our young lads are certainly producing it week in and week out."

Booth also had a special mention for the fans.

"They have been really magnificent - like an extra player as the manager has said," he commented.

"When you see so many people following you up and down the country to places like Oxford and Carlisle and getting right behind you during the matches, it really does spur you on."

For the record, Booth's debut was as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Fulham.

That was in the days when teams had only two players on the bench - the other sub being defender Mark Wright.

Town's starting side was: Tim Clarke, Simon Trevitt, Simon Charlton, Neil McNab, Graham Mitchell, Peter Jackson, Kieran O'Regan, Gary Barnett, Iwan Roberts, Phil Starbuck and Iffy Onuora.