TOWN have signed the towering Preston striker Fola Onibuje on a one-month loan and he'll be on the bench against Mansfield on Saturday.

The 19-year-old who has no League experience has been drafted in because skipper Andy Booth (hamstring) is struggling to be fit for the Field Mill trip.

A former Charlton youth product, Onibuje has trained with Town this week and Peter Jackson believes the 6ft 7in arrival could play a vital role.

"Both Jeff Lee and Terry Yorath have seen Fola in matches, he has done well in training and, in our current circumstances, he could give us a little bit extra off the bench," said the manager.

"He is still only young at just gone 19 - he could play in our juniors if we wanted - and he is quite raw, but he is very quick and, at 6ft 7in, he is not bad in the air either.

"With Boothy struggling, Nat Brown in the team elsewhere and Jon Newby recovering from surgery, I just feel we might need that extra bit of firepower and Fola could well provide it.

"This is a nice chance for him because he's played only a few Reserve games and, if he gets the chance, I know he'll be keen to do well on Saturday."

Jackson felt it was not the right time to promote from the Academy, even though young John McAliskey has been among the goals recently and was in the last Reserves squad.

"Fola was with Charlton as a 17-year-old, when Preston took on his youth papers," Jackson added. "He is a big, powerful lad and that's why I've brought him in at this stage.

"We have said all season that we might need another striker into the club, and that time has come with these injuries."

Jackson anticipates that Chris Holland (ankle) will be fit for the weekend, while Rob Edwards is on the verge of consideration after playing in a practice match on Thursday at Storthes Hall.

"I've seen Mansfield a couple of times and they will be one of the contenders for the title, so we need to be ready for a big test," said Jackson.

"They have good young players and score plenty of goals, Corden and Lawrence are danger on the wings and Larkin and Mendes are lively up front, with Mendes really quick and ready to hassle defenders.

"But we are off the back of a great result and we are going there to be very positive and to try and build on the win against Hull City."

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