The highly-rated central defender has recovered from a serious knee injury and is hoping to be in manager John Sheridan's plans for the Yuletide clashes.

''I'm looking forward to making my comeback and helping the team gain promotion,'' said Downes (24) who has been sidelined since April with cruciate ligament damage.

Downes, who played international football for the Australian U20 and U23 teams, made his competitive comeback two weeks ago when he played one half for the Reserves in a match against Notts County.

He followed this up by playing the full 90 minutes in a Reserve game against Rotherham.

''Afterwards I felt okay. There was no reaction. I was only going to play for 75 minutes against Rotherham but I told the guys on the touchline that I was feeling fine and carried on until the end,'' he said.

Aaron, who has played 158 times for the Spireites, suffered the injury when he came down awkwardly as he challenged for a header in the home game against Darlington.

''I landed at a 90 degree angle and my feet became stuck in the ground.

''I felt my knee pop out and pop in again and it was painful but I did not realise at the time just how serious it was.

''I've always been a competitive person who loves paying football, so it is fair to say that I was devastated,'' said the Blues No15.

After an operation to correct the problem, Aaron flew to the Bahamas where he married his fiancee Michelle before a break with his family in his native Australia.

''All the time I was never very far away from a gym, so I managed to excercise my knee on a regular basis.

''There's never a good time to pick up a long-term injury, but if one comes your way, the start of the close season is the best time to have one,'' he said.

Following his return to Chesterfield, Aaron has spent a lot of time in rehabilitation with club physio Jamie Hewitt.

''I've known Jamie for many years but since I did my knee, we've become really good mates.

''He has been fantastic and deserves a lot of credit and praise for what he has done for me.

''It has seemed occasionally as if I've spent more time with him that I have with my missus!''

Downes resumed full training with the first-team squad at the start of November and he believes he will need another couple of warm-up games to fully regain his match fitness.