Mat Sadler speaks out on Walsall starlets

Maher was recalled from his impressive loan spell at Rushall Olympic in November, but has started just once in League Two since his return.

The 19-year-old was left out of the squad for the games against Notts County, Tranmere Rovers and Accrington Stanley respectively in December, but was restored to the bench for the wins over Crewe Alexandra and Wrexham after Christmas.

He was introduced in the dying stages of Walsall’s 6-1 crushing of Grimsby Town on New Year’s Day, and Sadler explained his decision not to bring him on earlier at Blundell Park.

“The plan is that they are ready to be playing at the moment,” Sadler revealed. “I was really pleased Ronan came on. I could’ve brought him on five or 10 minutes earlier, and I was probably going to introduce him until they brought on two really good players in (Charles) Vernam and Otis (Khan).

“So, I just delayed it a little bit because I wanted to see if there was any sort of reaction from them.

“In the end, we ended up on the ball and kind of nullified that reaction.”

Oisin McEntee is set to miss three months with a hamstring issue, while Ryan Stirk (ankle), Ross Tierney (hamstring), Joe Riley (knee), Jamille Matt (groin) and Aramide Oteh (hamstring) are also nursing injuries, but are expected back this month.

Freddie Draper was also withdrawn during the first half on Humberside, and the severity of his injury is still unknown.

The injuries across midfield could provide Maher with more minutes in January, whilst the likes of Douglas James-Taylor and Danny Johnson proved against Grimsby that every player in the squad has an important part to play.

Foulkes featured in five of Walsall’s opening nine league games, but has not figured since the goalless draw against Forest Green in November. He has been an unused substitute over the past seven games, but Sadler confirmed that the young duo will be counted on during the second half of the campaign.

The Walsall boss insisted: “They are are on the bench at the minute, so they are certainly in the first team plans.

“We’ve got loads of bodies in the treatment room. Luckily, we’ve got a squad of players with people like that who’re ready when called upon.

“They just need to keep working hard. Joe Foulkes, I don’t know if you saw him just then (completing a rigorous cool down), but he’s probably the only person still on the stadium pitch, and getting himself ready for when he’s called upon.”

n Eighteen-year-old forward Marvellous Onabirekhanlen has left Walsall following the expiration of his contract.