Kitson told the club’s official website: “The (knee) operation has been easier to get over than I thought it would be.
“It looks as if the scar has healed, it’s only one inch so I won’t be able to impress anyone on the beach with that!
“I was smashing balls at 100 percent with my right foot, and that’s the side it’s on, so it’s encouraging. I’ve been running so it’s a case of getting the fitness up.
“The knee is fine, and the hamstring is about a week away from being back to how it was. I felt like I could have trained, but I’m under doctors orders to wait at least four weeks, and it’s only two so far.
“I’m hoping in the first week of January I can step back into the fray and be training. I think that’s realistic. It’ll be a fresh year and a fresh start.”