Walsall today received a big pre-match boost as leading scorer Martin Butler returned to training and made himself available to face Rochdale at Bescot tomorrow.

The 31-year-old is now expected to line up from the start into tomorrow’s League Two clash after recovering from a bout of illness.

The 10-goal marksman left the field after just 16 minutes of Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Macclesfield after feeling ill throughout the day, sparking concerns he may miss out against Rochdale.

But Saddlers manager Richard Money today confirmed his top striker is fully recovered and in contention to start against Keith Hill’s in-form side.

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Walsall today received a big pre-match boost as leading scorer Martin Butler returned to training and made himself available to face Rochdale at Bescot tomorrow.

The 31-year-old is now expected to line up from the start into tomorrow’s League Two clash after recovering from a bout of illness.

The 10-goal marksman left the field after just 16 minutes of Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Macclesfield after feeling ill throughout the day, sparking concerns he may miss out against Rochdale.

But Saddlers manager Richard Money today confirmed his top striker is fully recovered and in contention to start against Keith Hill’s in-form side.However, Money will again be without experienced defender Ian Roper as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.

Roper missed the Macclesfield game after injuring his knee against Boston last Saturday and is still not ready for a comeback.

Money said: “There is no real change.

“It’s as we thought, he has injured his knee and will be out for a couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile, Money braced his team for another tough battle against an in-form Rochdale side who stunned promotion chasing M K Dons with a shock 5-0 win last weekend.

He said: “They are in good form at the moment and they only have around four players left from the team we beat on the opening day. It will be another tough game.”