Life without Walsall loanee Ronan Maher was difficult for Rushall Olympic

Maher rejoined the Pics on loan until the end of the season last week, after a successful stint earlier in the campaign.

He thrived at Dales Lane, and enjoyed a stellar October to prompt a recall by Walsall.

The teenager set up half of Danny Waldron’s four-goal haul in a 5-0 win over Chorley, before teeing up the forward again for the only goal at Brackley three days later.

Maher consolidated his auspicious run of form by scoring twice in a 4-1 victory over Boldmere St Michaels in the Walsall Senior Cup and went on to be named the Supporters’ Player of the Month.

The Pics collected just one win from the next eight games in all competitions following Maher’s exit and McDonald is pleased to have regained his creativity in the side.

“When he went, I don’t think we won for a few games. Life after RAM (Maher) was difficult because his statistics were so high in terms of chances created, dribbles, dribbles in the final third and shots.

“We lost a lot when he went back and he fits into the way we play really well.

“Getting him back for the rest of the season and knowing he’ll be up and running in terms of match fitness will be very good for us.”

Maher’s return to Walsall coincided with an injury crisis, but the teenager struggled for game time and made just two starts in all competitions.

The Republic of Ireland youth international has made 17 appearances for Walsall and Rushall combined this term, and boss Mat Sadler hopes that his Dales Lane return will enable him to reach 30 appearances, which was the target set during pre-season.

Sadler said: “We set out what we wanted him to do at the start of the season. We want him to get 30 plus games off the back of last season where he wasn’t playing anywhere near enough games for a player of his age.

“We set out a target for him and hopefully he will reach that between now and the end of the season.

“Clearly we needed him when we did have injuries. It was great to get him back into the squad and for him to play games.

“That’s all part of his development. I hope he has a good second half of the season because it will benefit us too in the long run.”

Maher was thrown straight into the starting XI against Curzon Ashton for his ‘second Rushall debut’ on Saturday, and took just three minutes to leave his fingerprints on the game.

After outfoxing his marker with an elegant Cruyff turn, Maher’s swerving cross was helped across goal by Mitchell Clarke for Andre Carvalho-Landell to bundle home.

Maher was watching from the bench by the time Alex Moore added a second in the 68th minute, but a late capitulation saw Curzon Ashton mount a comeback to collect a point at Dales Lane.

Nonetheless, Maher’s immediate impact bodes well for the future, and McDonald has backed him to play at a very high level whether that’s at Walsall or elsewhere.

“It’s a weird one because he may be a loan player but the fans really treat him as one of our own,” the Rushall boss suggested.

“I told RAM when he left that I was finding it difficult because it felt as if he was very much my player even though he’s not.

“I had forgotten but it was only until he started playing really well and obviously Mat Sadler was always in touch with me about how he was getting on.

“I kept saying how brilliantly he was doing. He had played left wing-back, in the centre of midfield and as a 10.

“His vocabulary in football has increased. He can play in a variety of positions and that has helped him develop. He got recalled for a reason and we’re just glad he’s back.”

McDonald went onto add that the key to his success was backing his natural talent with both discipline and hard work.

“This loan is about RAM. He uses a PT instructor to stay in shape, he wants to do extra running and likes to get in the gym as much as he can to improve his strength,” he revealed.

“We’ve had a few loans and they’re very talented footballers but they don’t have that desperation to be one.”

Rushall’s promotion to the National League North at the end of last season has also opened up a useful pathway for Walsall youngsters to gain experience.

Joe Foulkes benefited from two seasons at Kidderminster Harriers, just as Maher is currently doing at Rushall.

And the current cohort of youngsters such as George Barrett, Dylan Thomas and Charlie Wragg could really develop from similar experiences in years to come.

“We’ve probably not previously had that relationship since I’ve been here but it’s definitely growing,” McDonald admitted.

“Whether that’s got stronger because we play in the National League North so there’s more development in a player coming to play games at our level rather than Step 3.

“The relationship that RAM has with Rushall is strong. He had a lot of interest from bigger clubs than Rushall but his dad and mum are watching at Rushall now, and his dad has popped down a few times over the last month.

“RAM has been at a lot games and he still feels part of it. He wanted to come back, Rushall were his preferred choice and Walsall made that happen. We’re grateful on both parts.”