Liam Roberts: Walsall must come first

The academy product – who has been with the club for 10 years – has joined his team-mates, together with the rest of the Banks’s Stadium Staff, by taking part in a pay deferral and reduction programme to help the club through the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, the Walsall-born shot-stopper has revealed he was adamant that the future of the Saddlers is more important in the current climate.

“At the end of the day it’s about the club, we’re non-existent in this really,” he said.

“We’re individuals and it’s about the bigger picture at the end of the day, it’s about the club progressing and managing to keep pushing forward. It’s not about the individual at the moment, you can look at it this way, we’re lucky to have a job in these uncertain times.

“It’s about a team ethos within the club, right from the top all the way down to the bottom.

“It’s one of the biggest things, look at the amount of times the club has looked after me.

“There’s a lot of things the club have done for me personally, within my family as well, from a young age. I can’t thank the amount of people that have helped me out enough.

“If I can give back just a little bit, even if it’s individually, then I’ll happily do that any day of the week.

“It’s the bigger picture for the club, it’s not about just me it’s about the club and making sure the club develops and keeps striving forward.

“I’ve been here 10 years now and it’s the best I’ve seen it for a long time family wise and with the togetherness straight from the top.”

Meanwhile, manager Darrell Clarke says he is ‘proud’ to see everyone involved pulling in the same direction.

“I’m really pleased and proud of everyone at the football club,” he said.

“We’re all trying to help to secure Walsall Football Club.

“We’re all doing our bit and I’m sure that will be very much appreciated by supporters because they’re more than doing their bit.

“The support we’ve had from them has been outstanding.

“It’s right that us as a football club, we all do our bit with a real good togetherness.

“I know the chairman is very pleased with that and we have to keep doing that to make sure that the football club is still standing after this awful period.

“You do that by coming together.”

Meanwhile, midfielder Emmanuel Osadebe insists ‘every day is enjoyable’ after making the switch to the Black Country.

“The lads have been great, they took me in straight away,” he said.

“The sessions are good, it’s lively and we have got the right team spirit and that comes from the gaffer as well.

“Everyone has been working together so I couldn’t ask for anything more. Every day is enjoyable, every day you want to train hard and work hard for the boys and the gaffer so it’s very good.”