Walsall's Mat Sadler hails 'serial winner' Darrell Clarke

The defender was announced as the club’s new player/coach last week after the Saddlers chose to exercise an option in his contract to keep him for another year.

It comes after assistant manager Marcus Stewart left the club for personal reasons and Sadler has now branded Clarke a ‘serial winner’ – praising him for the coaching opportunity.

“I’m really excited about it, the manager is a serial winner,” Sadler said via the club’s channels.

“The promotions that he has, he’s desperate to win for this football club.

“He eats, breathes and sleeps football and winning football matches.

“He hurts so bad when we lose football games, up there more than any person I’ve seen hurt about a football game before. He’s so passionate about winning games for this football club, he truly is the right person to be in charge for this next chapter.

“Alongside Brian Dutton, another person who is so passionate about winning games of football.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to learn from these people and to bring ideas. To be given that opportunity by a well-respected manager in the game, I’m very proud of that as well.

“I’m delighted to be given the opportunity and I want to do as much as I can to help out that charge.”

Sadler rejoined Walsall last summer after leaving Shrewsbury Town, where he was previously touted as a potential coach.

The defender admits that he’s been ready for the next step for a while and hopes to improve the club’s talents.

“I’ve felt ready for a couple seasons now and it’s just where I’m at,” he added.

“I very much so enjoy the playing side of things but I also really enjoy helping to improve players around me and I try to do that while playing.

“I’m very excited about trying to have as much of an influence and impact as possible.

"It’s quite rare at a football club that every person from top to bottom in every department wants the same thing and it feels like that’s what we have. We should be extremely proud of the club we have.”