Tyler Roberts: Walsall can win promotion

The 18-year-old, who has joined the Saddlers on loan from Albion, netted the winning goal on Saturday as Jon Whitney’s side ran out 2-1 winners at Oxford.

Now the forward is set to be part of the Walsall team that takes on Charlton at the Banks’s Stadium this evening.

Roberts is currently enjoying his third loan move away from The Hawthorns with the teenager having previously spent time in League One with both Oxford and Shrewsbury.

And he says Walsall’s team spirit has made it easy for him to adapt to life as a Saddler.

“I feel like I have come here and settled in really quickly,” Roberts said.

“It’s got easier with every loan. It took me a while to settle at Oxford because it was my first. It got quicker at Shrewsbury but I’ve settled in even quicker here.

“The lads have been great with me, everyone gets on and we have got a really strong team spirit.

“It’s a good place to be and we’re all working hard to be successful.

“For me, the target for the season should be promotion.

“With the players we have got and the team spirit we have got, that should be the aim.”

Walsall headed to Oxford on Saturday having previously failed to register an away win this season.

But Whitney’s men took control from the off at the Kassam Stadium and should have won by a greater margin.

And Roberts says the team is working hard to be more clinical in front of goal.

“It was great to get that away win and personally for me it was nice to score against my former club,” the striker continued.

“We played well, we went 2-0 up, but we had chances to be even further ahead. I could have had a couple and we could have scored a few more as a team.

“We have to concentrate on finishing those chances because you never know what will happen – a decision could go against you and you get punished.

“Our defence is strong so we have to make sure we are creating chances and taking them.”

Roberts was deployed as a lone striker on Saturday as Whitney switched to a 4-1-4-1 formation.

And he feels the change in system made the Saddlers more of a force – even if it meant a slight change in role for him.

“I think the formation worked really well,” the Wales under-21 inernational said.

“It gave us more of an attacking threat.

“I think with the wide players it gave us an out. Kieron (Morris) and Zeli (Ismail) are very direct.

“It was a good option for us to go wide.

“For me personally, I’m not used to being up front on my own.

“It’s a task because you have to deal with two centre-backs

“But I’m learning every week and I feel I’m getting better

at it.

“That’s all I want. To keep upping my game, to keep getting starts and to keep improving week by week.

“And I want to score as many goals as possible of course.

“Hopefully I can get into double figures.”

Roberts revealed he is particularly enjoying playing alongside Walsall talisman Erhun Oztumer.

“Last year I played against him and I could see he was a quality player,” he added.

“Now to play with him is great because I know I can make runs and he will find me.”