'Powerful, quick and old-school' - What Bournemouth loanee Jonny Stuttle could bring to Walsall

Walsall have struck gold on the loan market for three summers in a row - with Danny Johnson, Freddie Draper, and most notably Nathan Lowe, all hitting the goal scoring trail. 

Now, 19-year-old Stuttle will be looking to become the latest frontman to shine at Bescot, after a goal-laden loan spell at Farnborough in the National League South. 

'League Two defences at their peril'

Stuttle plundered 10 goals in 19 games in four months at Boro, and despite the potentially dauting prospect of a two-division leap, his former boss Spencer Day has warned League Two defences not to underestimate him. 

"I appreciate this is League Two but defenders are at their peril if they think he's just an old-school target man - he's not," Farnborough manager Day insists. 

"He's quite powerful and deceptively quick over 10 yards. If you hesitate for half a second then he'll have the ball off you in an instant. 

"Jonny just wants to play and that's the only thing I can pass on to Walsall fans; you need to play him. That's not easy because he's still a young man and it's a decent jump but you've got to trust him." 

That's exactly what Day did. Stuttle had struggled for minutes during a temporary stint at Aldershot Town in the first half of the previous campaign, and Day spent the winter window scouring the market for a centre-forward. 

'All he needs is a chance'

Stuttle had been on his radar for some time and his impact was recognisable very early on.

"We joked with Bournemouth about the loan situation. They said we've got to play him or they'll take him elsewhere," he reveals. 

"I told them that they needn't worry because he could be on one leg and he'd still be playing. 

"Jonny completely blew the National League South away for us, but that was because I didn't really have a choice. 

"We were desperate for a striker and I had been badgering Bournemouth for about two months. That is obviously different at Walsall where he'll be competing with a number of strikers. 

"So he will have to earn the right to get into that team and that will be his next challenge." 

Stuttle will 'improve' at Walsall

The Weymouth-born marksman notched four times in as many games upon arrival at Cherrywood Road to set the tone for a prolific spell. 

He went on to score in wins over Worthing, Weston-super-Mare, Welling United and Tonbridge, before hitting a memorable double in a stunning 8-2 victory at Hampton & Richmond. 

"In that record-breaking 8-2 win, he played in a two and the other lad had just been released by Luton," Day continues. 

"The two young lads absolutely destroyed Hampton, but although Jonny is happy in a pair, he played most of his games as a sole striker.

"Of course, the standard in League Two is higher, but the reality is that he's still learning and will benefit from training with Walsall on a daily basis.

"I recommended him to at least three League Two clubs and also a League One club that were interested.  

"He just needs a small run of games. There are areas that he needs to improve but I just hope he gets the minutes with Walsall because he's a real prospect."