Rory Holden looks to repay confidence of Walsall boss Darrell Clarke
Walsall midfielder Rory Holden insists the faith shown in him by manager Darrell Clarke is helping to bring out his best performances as he prepares for an EFL Trophy clash with Chelsea’s youngsters.
The 23-year-old has looked sharp behind the striker this season as the Saddlers continue to utilise the 4-2-3-1 formation.
Holden and his team-mates were given a rest on Saturday when their League Two clash with Leyton Orient was postponed due to positive coronavirus tests at the London club.
In the 2-2 draw with Harrogate Town the week before, Holden got off the mark with his first goal of the season as he admits his confidence is high.
“I am a confidence player I think, but as I said before I will play wherever the gaffer plays me and do a job for the team.
“You want the gaffer to have faith in you and play you every game.
“I want to score as many and assist as many times as possible but realistically it’s to help the team, it’s a team game and if we get promoted and I don’t score for the rest of the season I’ll still be help.”
Emmanuel Osadebe joined the club on a free transfer this month and offers Holden some competition in his favoured number 10 role.
Not only does Holden welcome the fight for a starting XI berth, but he also aims to learn from the former Macclesfield Town man.
“Competition is a good thing in the squad because we need players to push each other so if we do that then we’ll finish higher and hopefully play better,” he added.
“There’s games where we have to be more physical or need someone to run with the ball and he has that so I need to bring that into my game and hopefully I can learn from him.”
Osadebe could be in line for his second Walsall start after playing 60 minutes in the club’s 2-2 draw with Bristol Rovers in the Trophy earlier this month – a game the Saddlers won on penalties.
