Express & Star

Walsall striker Amadou Bakayoko not resting on his laurels

Walsall striker Amadou Bakayoko has vowed to keep improving after taking his tally for the season into double figures.

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The 21-year-old netted his 10th goal of the campaign on Saturday as the Saddlers secured a 2-0 win over John Sheridan’s Oldham.

Tonight Bakayoko will be part of the Walsall squad that looks to secure a sixth straight home win when they take on Chesterfield at the Banks’s Stadium.

And while pleased with his progress so far, Bakayoko knows there is still a lot of work to do if he is going to realise his potential.

“At the start of the season I didn’t imagine I would get to 10 goals,” the striker said.

“I was just hoping to play as many games as possible.

“I’ve got the game time and I think my performances are coming on.

“I just want to improve as much as I can throughout the season.

“That’s the mindset here. I am trying to progress as a player and the team are trying to progress up the table.

“It’s all about performances we just need to keep working hard to make sure we get it right.

“God willing, I will get more goals. But the important thing is that,we keep moving forward.”

Tonight’s game was due to take place a week ago but had to be re-arranged after the Banks’s pitch became waterlogged due to heavy rain last Tuesday.

But with Jon Whitney’s side in such good home form, Bakayoko admits all the players were delighted it was re-arranged so quickly.

“It’s down to us now to make it six straight wins at home,” the Sierra Leone born forward said.

“We know, as players, our best form is at home and we need to keep that up.

“We have real heart for playing at home and we just want to keep giving the fans something to cheer.”

Bakayoko faces competition from Simeon Jackson and Andreas Makris to start as Walsall’s lone centre-forward. But he says all three striker’s help each other out.

“I’ve learnt a lot from Simeon,” he added. “And Andreas is working really hard. I think he has got a really bright future here. There is competition but we all get on. We know we are here to win for the team.”