Walsall boss Michael Flynn welcomes back ‘clever’ Joe Riley

Riley came on as a second half substitute against Newport – his first competitive game since joining from Carlisle in July last year.

The 26-year-old appeared in a pre-season friendly against Villa but suffered a long-term tendon injury which meant he had not played another game up until Saturday’s 1-1 draw.

Flynn said: “It was good to get Joe on the park, he has worked really hard to get to where he is and it’s always bad for a footballer not to play through injury – especially for that long.

“He is a clever player and showed some good touches when he came on.

“So it is great to see him back and also for the fans to see what we brought him here for – they will see more in the near future.”