Walsall boss in warning to Byfield

Walsall boss Chris Hutchings has warned Darren Byfield he isn't untouchable and must rediscover his form to force his way back into the side.

The misfiring hitman hasn't scored in 12 games and has been dropped in favour of Alex Nicholls.

Byfield, who last found the net in the 3-1 defeat with Southampton in December, is stuck on 100 career goals and Hutchings will not let him live on his reputation.

He said:"Darren is a bubbly character but no one is big enough to think they can't be dropped or rested. That goes for everyone. I'm not worried or care about reputations. If I think it's the right thing to do then I'll do it.

"If you don't contribute in the right manner without scoring then you're not likely to be in the team. He's had opportunities to score goals and we've said if he keeps getting there sooner or later it will drop, but for one reason or another it hasn't.

"It's about contributing in the right manner but sometimes you freshen things up and see if it works. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

"It happens to strikers, they go on runs of scoring and then they can go 10 games without scoring."

Sam Parkin is ready to resume training from his groin injury today to heap more pressure on seven-goal Byfield.

Troy Deeney and Nicholls are set to continue up front at Leyton Orient on Saturday, leaving former Villa man Byfield again on the bench.

Hutchings said: "That's what happens, sometimes you're looking for the best pair on any given day, depending on who you're playing against.

"It's always been the same, there's competition for places and when Parkin is fit there's four senior strikers, and then there's Will Grigg."

Grigg is yet to make a first team appearance under Hutchings, with his only outing coming as a late substitute at Cheltenham in December 2008.

But Hutchings insists the Northern Ireland under-21 international is pushing hard to finally make the breakthrough.

The manager said: "Will is progressing nicely and putting pressure on the others and that's what we need. There's always someone willing to give it a right go."