Walsall striker Troy Deeney has backed misfiring Darren Byfield to end his goal drought and insists his strike partner is still a major player for the team.

The 33-year-old hasn’t scored for nine games and is stuck on 100 career goals, after his last strike against Southampton on December 5 ahead of tonight’s visit of Yeovil.

Byfield has seven goals this season and was dropped by boss Chris Hutchings earlier this month, but Deeney is convinced his fellow forward will rediscover his touch.

He said: “With Daz, if he’s not scoring it plays on his mind and that’s why he got pulled out. But he’s grafted, got his head back on it and he showed, given the captain’s armband on Saturday, he relished the role.

“This is the longest he’s ever been in his career without scoring but he’s still doing well and he’s got nothing to worry about, he’ll get one soon and the rest will start rolling in.

“If he’s standing outside the box and not getting the chances people will wonder why he is playing, but he’s doing what he does every other week and he’ll get one and once that happens they’ll flow.”

Byfield scored when the Saddlers won 3-1 at Yeovil earlier in the season and Deeney believes the former Villa trainee must be greedy to end his lean streak.

The 21-year-old said: “That’s why he’s been where he’s been, he knows how to do it. He’s a good strike partner and on Saturday he had two good opportunities, but got a bit muddled up whether to pass to me or shoot. I told him to be greedy, I wouldn’t have passed to him anyway!

“Everything in his head is sorted, he’s done his hard work and realised it happens to everyone. I went for about six months without scoring last season, so it’s one of those things.”

Deeney took his tally to 11 with the winner in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Brentford – one off last season’s total of 12 – and the player has targeted a double salvo tonight to pass that mark.

He said: “Hopefully I’ll get two against Yeovil just to beat it. In the last couple of games I haven’t had many chances, so I’m grinding my teeth ready to go.

“Martin O’Connor told me I would get one chance on Saturday, so I had to score it and there it was.”