Walsall winger Jack Nolan: I found first lockdown mentally tough

The 19-year-old, who lives away from his family in Portsmouth, returned to training in the summer admittedly out of shape and then failed to impress in his EFL Trophy outings.

But since then he has been praised for his performances in his first League Two starts and the winger insists he found the first lockdown difficult to handle.

“We were off for five months and I’ve only got myself to blame,” he said.

“It was tough for me mentally as well. You’re used to going in day in, day out playing football so when it all of sudden is cut off, it was tough. You can’t replicate the fitness levels from training and matchdays when you’re at home running round the road. I found that tough. When I came back, I had a bit of catch-up to do but it was just about getting my head down and going again.

“When I was back in the building, I could concentrate more and get my head down. When I was at home it’s a bit more difficult because there’s other things going on in the world and restrictions you’ve got to keep to, so it was a bit of a nightmare really.

"I had a little knock in confidence, I won’t lie, but I think I’ve got that back now. You’re here for a reason and the manager sees something in you so for me, it was believing in myself a bit more and being more confident. You want to do it for the team and when you come in, you don’t want to be the reason that you lose. “It’s (about) being a bit more confident in myself and that’s what’s made me have better games.”