Goalscorer Ross Tierney eyeing next step on Walsall return

Tierney was handed his first start in League Two in over two months and seized his chance by opening the scoring with his third of the campaign in all competitions.

The Motherwell loanee missed the best part of several weeks with a hamstring injury, but has had to settle for cameos from the bench in the four games prior.

Jamille Matt doubled their advantage 13 minutes later with his second in as many games, before Emmanuel Adegboyega also made it two in two to secure all three points with a third.

That results keeps Walsall in 16th but closes the gap on the play-offs to just three points, as the Saddlers prepare to travel to Harrogate Town on Saturday.

Tierney is confident Walsall can be a force to be reckoned with and also hopes to play his part.

He said: “It’s going to be difficult when you’ve got players like Hutch (Isaac Hutchinson) and Jez (Jack Earing).

“We know he has just come back from a long-term injury and played a lot of games, but I think he needed a little rest.

“Hopefully, I’ve put a little seed in the gaffer’s head and I can get another game on Saturday,

“Momentum is a key part in what we do. We know if we play free form football we can haunt teams in this league.

“I think we’ve beaten everyone in the top six and Harrogate are the only ones in the play-offs that we haven’t got a result against this year.

“You see it from Jacko (Jackson Smith) right up to Jamille (Matt).

“A lot of the lads that started tonight (against Morecambe) haven’t at the start of the season so we know we’ve got to keep together.”