Walsall wizard Erhun Oztumer finds his magic ingredients

The creative schemer has been a revelation for the Saddlers since joining from Peterborough with the 26-year-old netting a career best 15-goals last season.

Oztumer looks on track to better that this campaign with the trickster having already scored 10 times in just 25 appearances.

But despite his impressive goal tally and a number of outstanding performances, Oztumer revealed there have been times he has doubted his ability over the past few months.

"Personally there have been times I've lacked confidence," he said.

"I felt like I was trying to do stuff but I couldn’t do it and I didn’t feel good enough to do it at the time.

"A few things had affected me. The FA Cup exit at Newport was disappointing. My performances before then maybe.

"We had two or three days off and everyone went home and saw their family and friends. We came back and there was a different atmosphere at training – you could see everyone was really up for it.

"It really helped me going home to see my family and sometimes it’s good to have a little break, forget about football and then come back raring to go.

"Confidence is key in football and right now I feel like I am back to my best."

As Walsall's talisman, Oztumer knows supporters often look to him to provide a moment of magic.

But he says the best way to handle that expectation is to work extra hard on the pitch.

"I’ve felt people’s expectations of me have risen from last year which creates a little bit of pressure," he continued.

"I feel maybe people are expecting the same things or better. If we’re losing or drawing and we need something special, people might look at me to try to create something or score a goal.

"With the goals I scored last season, it was going to be hard to do that again. But for me, it’s not all about goals – it’s about performances and hard work.

"I’m just trying to do well for the team and if I do that I will get my rewards, score goals and get assists as well."