Express & Star

Liam Roberts is thinking of Walsall supporters

Walsall goalkeeper Liam Roberts insists the safety of fans and their families is more important than returning to football as the country battles the coronavirus.

Published
Last updated

The League Two season will soon come to an end after all 24 clubs agreed that they wanted to call time on it prematurely in a meeting on Friday.

The 2020/21 campaign may also start later in the year and Roberts believes health and safety should be paramount.

“Everything is up the air at the minute but the main priority, even outside the football world, is that I hope all the Saddlers fans and everyone connected with Walsall and their families are well,” he said.

“That’s the most important thing at the moment, making sure that they’re OK.

“The quicker everyone gets better, the quicker we can get back to football.

“At the end of the day it’s about the safety of everyone connected with the club, that’s the main priority at the moment.”

It is also being touted that fans may not be able to return to the Banks’s Stadium until 2021 – which would be a ‘surreal’ experience for homegrown player Roberts.

“Obviously we love what we do, so any chance to play a game, we love to do it,” he added. “That’s whether it’s with fans or without fans, it will be strange without them and they will want to be at the games – we want them at the games – but we have to wait and see what happens.

“It would be completely surreal and strange without them, to walk out and not have anyone where.

“It’s my home town club as well, but at the end of the day it’s as much about the safety of everyone at the club and the fans.

“The fans are the most important part of the club, they’re the 12th man.

“We’ll always need them whenever we’re playing.”

Meanwhile, striker Elijah Adebayo is keen to return to ‘normality’ and hopes to see football return as soon as possible.

“Whatever the higher-ups decide to do, I’m not fussed, as long as we are back in and return to normality kicking a football,” he said.

“That’s ultimately what we love doing, we just want to kick a ball around with our teammates and win three points.

“Whatever they think is the best outcome is what will happen, we just have to hope it’s sooner rather than later. I just want to be back playing football.”