Young guns in Money's sights

The Saddlers began preparing for the fresh challenge of League One football with Money still actively working on recruiting a quartet of signings before the season gets underway.

But the Walsall boss says that his plans could ultimately be affected by what he sees over the coming weeks from the crop of young hopefuls striving for first team football.

Second year pros Alex Nicholls, David McDermott, Mannie Smith and Mark Bradley are under special scrutiny as well as striker Troy Deeney, rejected by Villa as a 15-year-old but back in pro football after a spirited response with Chelmsley Town and then Halesowen.

Mapping out his pre-season plans Money said: "The first week will be a focus on fitness and we will also spend a week at Lilleshall like we did last year. It will give us the chance to be together as a group and talk about our goals for the new season. It's important that we're together as a group and get mentally and physically prepared for the new campaign.

"The third week we will get the group together, lay down our foundations, set our goals and play some football with the matches starting at the end of that week.

"An important part of that will see us look at Troy Deeney, Alex Nicholls, David McDermott, Mannie Smith and Mark Bradley and see exactly where they are in the scheme of things.

"Their progress may well influence what we want to do in the transfer market."

The potential of strikers Deeney and Nicholls has already had a bearing on Money's plans as he pondered signing Notts County's Spencer Weir-Daley. "He's a decent player. He wanted to come to us and was keen to come to us. But is he any better than Troy Deeney or Alex Nicholls?" explained Money.