Walsall v Forest Green: Saddlers starting to get in the swing says Oisin McEntee

The Saddlers return to League Two action following a two-week break when second-bottom Forest Green Rovers visit Bescot Stadium tomorrow.

Mat Sadler’s men are 16th, six points clear of the Gloucestershire visitors. The Saddlers’ sole win in their last six games in all competitions came on the road at FA Cup non-league opponents Sheppey United.

There was a boost away from the pitch this week, though, as midfield regular McEntee, 22, finalised a one-year extension to commit to the club until 2025.

The former Republic of Ireland youth international has been a big hit under Sadler having been shifted from a central defender into a midfield role. Despite recent results McEntee, a former Newcastle trainee who joined the Saddlers in 2022, is encouraged by a new-look squad showing signs of coming together.

“Listen, there’s a lot of football to be played,” McEntee said ahead of tomorrow’s clash. “I think we’re starting to finally gel, it was a very new team at the start of the season and it takes time with players to get to know each other.

“But I think we can just kick on from here, hopefully.

“We need a big result, it could kick-start a good few months for us, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Just four points separates Walsall and a push into the division’s top half, with a long, testing trip to Barrow, currently sixth, to come on Tuesday night.

McEntee, who has added goals to his game in the midfield role with three, believes an ever-growing togetherness can make the difference.

“Every one of them gets on, it’s just brilliant, I’ve never seen that in a team before, where everybody can literally talk away to everyone,” he added.

“The spirit is brilliant, in training and around the training ground, and in the group chats, there’s always people meeting up outside of football, which is good.”

Wolverhampton-based McEntee’s first few months in the Black Country were scuppered by a a shoulder injury that required surgery while on Ireland youth duty.

Since recovering, however, the youngster has been quick to team up with colleagues in a different sporting arena.

“We have a good golf school, me, Isaac (Hutchinson), Taylor (Allen), Harvey (Griffiths), Joe Riley, we have a lot of players in the golf school. Obviously the weather’s not too good at the moment, we went to a simulator the other day, but over the summer we were loving it.

“I think we had a league table going for a while so people were getting competitive on the course, it’s just good to get to see lads out of the football environment. I was mid-table but put on a low handicap. The shoulder injury put me out of action for a while!

“There’s still a little thing with range and mobility but that’s always going to be the case. I’m in the gym, getting strong and working on it, hopefully it’ll be OK as it is.”