Express & Star

Lockdown came at worst possible time for Walsall's in-form striker Elijah Adebayo

Walsall forward Elijah Adebayo insists the downtime in football matches came at the ‘worst possible time’ as he was hitting some of the best form of his career.

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The 22-year-old joined Saddlers in the summer and initially struggled, scoring five times in 34 games in all competitions.

On February 15 the striker played an integral part in Walsall’s 3-2 comeback win over Northampton before going on to score once in a 2-2 draw with Port Vale and twice in a 3-1 win over Exeter – the last game before football was suspended.

With his form drastically improving in those three fixtures, Adebayo has been left disappointed at the lack of on-field action but he’s determined to came back ‘even more hungry’.

“It is frustrating to not be playing,” he said. “I had a chat with my brother and we said that it has come at the worst possible time as I was starting to hit some form, and focusing on the mental side of keeping consistency throughout games.

“I’ve always been working hard and giving 100 per cent for the team but it was starting to come together for me.

“It has come at a bad time but it’s made me even more hungry to go back to Walsall and get back to it, hitting the ground running for next season.

“It is a downer but I am ready to go back and work hard and keep showing everyone what I’m made of.”

With no football to keep him occupied, Adebayo has had to settle for the next closest thing – getting involved in online FIFA tournaments.

He represented Walsall in the FIFA 20 Ultimate QuaranTeam cup, beating Italian giants Roma 2-1 in the opening game, before losing 5-4 to Middlesbrough in the round of 64.

“I’ve tried to make lockdown as fun as I can, keeping myself fit and playing a few board games,” he added. “It’s been OK, not as bad as I thought it would be, I’ve grown to use my time more wisely and keep fit.

“I’ve tried to keep myself focused on something around football, wherever I can.

“I haven’t played FIFA in ages but thought I’d give it a go.”

Saddlers and other EFL clubs were this morning awaiting news of the outcome of yesterday’s EFL board meeting.

The governing body will announce their final ‘framework’ on how to end the season, which will then need to be voted on by all 71 EFL clubs.