Walsall's Brendan Kiernan happy with sacrifice

Taylor has added 11 fresh faces to his Saddlers ranks as the newly-appointed boss goes about a rebuild at the Banks’s Stadium.

And the head coach has been putting his side through their paces since Walsall returned to Essington for pre-season. Players and staff have worked six-day weeks to ensure maximum fitness and negate the possibility of teething problems.

London-born winger Kiernan, a two-year deal signing from Harrogate, said: “It has been tough but it is part of what we are working towards. I think the sacrifice of working the six days is going to put us in good stead for that first game.

“It is not something I have experienced before, but it gives you that extra day to get to know each other better, to work that bit harder.

“It feels like you are getting everything you can out of the week. With there being so many of us new, it can only help.”