Sam Mantom hands Walsall a boost
Walsall boss Dean Smith believes the return of talented midfielder Sam Mantom will be like a new signing for his Wembley-bound side.
The 23-year-old, last year's player of the season, has been limited to just four substitute appearances this campaign after suffering an injury to his right knee during the summer.
At the time Mantom was expected to be out for just a few weeks but it's only now, nine months down the line that Smith believes the injury is finally behind him.
The boss said: "The really good news is that Sam has trained all week.
"He has looked really good and had no after effects from the injury so it is like signing a new player.
"We have a reserve game next week against Morecambe, I'm sure he can see the sight of the Wembley arch at the moment and he will be aiming for a bit of that.
"We will get him a game against Morecambe and see how he responds to that."
Mantom picked up the injury while on holiday in Turkey over the summer with the Saddlers hopeful he would be back to full fitness in December following a growth hormone injection.
But after complaining of more pain, the midfielder underwent exploratory knee surgery in a bid to discover the cause of the problem which has blighted his season.
And Smith now admits it's a big relief to see Mantom finally back on the training ground.
"There have been concerns all the way through," he said.
"At the start we thought it would be something he would just play through and come out of.
"But he has had knockbacks all along and I'm not sure he will ever be going back on holiday to Turkey.
"But it's good to see a smile on his face, getting him out on the grass has been really important and he has put in really good training performances so far."
Smith feels the injury has been mentally tough for the Stourbridge-born player.
"It has been really tough for him," he said.
"But I think the surgeon going in and finding nothing fundamentally wrong with the knee has given him the belief he can go and play through what he was feeling. He has now done that and not looked back.
"Now it's just really pleasing to see him out there, it's like having a new signing, that is for sure."
