Pre-season crucial to Walsall's hopes

Coach Dean Holden believes pre-season will be crucial if Walsall are to mount another serious bid for promotion.

The Saddlers narrowly missed out on a place in the Championship last season after finishing third in League One and then losing in the play-offs to eventual winners Barnsley.

Now the club faces a summer of transition with 11 players currently out of contract and the likes of Tom Bradshaw and Rico Henry being linked with moves away.

Jon Whitney and his staff are currently working hard to bring in new additions whilst also hoping the majority of the existing squad will commit to new terms.

But with new faces set to arrive and others set to depart, Holden knows pre-season will be crucial to building a team capable of challenging.

"For me, it's the biggest part of a season," he said. "It gives you a chance to get to know the players who will be coming in and the existing squad a little better. Once you make that connection, it's so much easier to work with them and develop that understanding between player and coach.

"It's a period of time when you can create that team spirit which we know is massive."

Holden feels it's on the training ground where you begin to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each player.

"Every player needs managing differently," he added.

"Some you have to be quite direct with and others need challenging in the way you speak to them.

"Also for us as staff, we get time to get together and go through a few things.

"I'm just excited to get out on pitch and to see and be part of the individual development of our players.

"It's going to be a big challenge this season, but one I am up for and I know the rest of the staff are as well."

Meanwhile, Rico Henry has returned home after featuring in two friendlies for England Under-19s.

Henry featured as a second-half substitute in the first game which England lost 2-0 before then starting on Monday in a 1-0 defeat.