Stuart Sinclair: I'm staying with Walsall

Since Darrell Clarke took charge at the club last summer, they have not released details on the length of player contracts – making an exception only to announce that Wes McDonald had signed a new 18-month deal in January.

Sinclair joined on a free contract in May last year after leaving Bristol Rovers and with fans left wondering which players are out of contract and may depart the Banks’s Stadium in the coming weeks, the 32-year-old insists that he will be staying with the club.

“Yes for sure, definitely,” he told the Express & Star.

“I’m here until at least the end of next year and I’m looking forward to it.

“I can’t wait to get back and get started. It’s a challenging time for the football club, but it will be an exciting time and hopefully we can keep progressing and produce exciting football – which the gaffer wants.

“It’s just nice to be a part of that and be involved.”

The Saddlers have not played football since March 7, when they rounded off a spell of impressive form with a 3-1 win at home to Exeter. In the three months since then, the lack of on-field action has been a ‘strange’ sensation for Sinclair, who admits it has given him an insight into what retirement could be like.

“Like everyone, I’m going a little bit crazy in lockdown,” he added.

“With football we have routine, it’s a major part of your life.

“I was speaking to my parents the other day and I was saying it was really strange because since I was a young child I’ve always had a game day.

“I’ve always worked towards Saturday and Tuesday nights as my game days, everything is aimed towards that.

“So it’s a strange situation when you don’t have that, it prepares you mentally for retirement I guess, in however many years that is.

“It’s really strange not to have that as a main focus in my day to day activities, it affects everything.

“I’m 32 and 33 in November, so I want to get as much as I can out of football.

“That day when retirement comes is obviously much closer for me that someone like Alfie (Bates) or any of the younger lads, so it’s an interesting situation to get your head around.

“I know there will be an enormous void when I do retire, you can’t avoid that.

“My whole life is aimed around football, the way I eat, the way I do things at home, so it’s been strange without it.”